Fiona Hill testified on Monday. She said Bolton told her that Mulveney and Sondland Ukraine plan was a “drug deal” he wanted no part in.
On Tuesday, Giuliani declared that he will not comply with House subpoena for documents. So too did Pence, the Defense Department, and the Office of Management.
A state department official, George P. Kent, testified that after a May 23 meeting called by Mulvaney, three people–Sondland, Perry and Volker–effectively took over managing Ukraine and career people like him were told to “lay low.”
The House voted with overwhelming Republican support to disapprove of Trump’s actions on Syria.
On Wednesday another State Department official testified in closed session before the House. He said he quit in opposition to the firing of the Ukraine ambassador and the politicization of the State Department in general.
It is not apparent that declarations form Trump and the White House from last week that they will block all cooperation has not in fact blocked cooperation: “One by one, a parade of Trump administration career diplomats and senior officials has offered a cascade of revelations. Those accounts have corroborated and expanded upon key aspects of the whistle-blower complaint that spawned the impeachment inquiry”
This famous picture was taken on Wednesday during a white House meeting between Trump and Congressional democrats. Trump was belligerent and Pelosi and her team eventually walked out.
Thursday: Mulvaney gave a press conference in which he admitted that the White House held up the Ukraine aid money over the election interference favors: “Did he also mention to me in passing the corruption related to the D.N.C. server?” Mr. Mulvaney said, referring to Mr. Trump. “Absolutely. No question about that.” He added, “That’s why we held up the money.” He later walked back the statement, though even few Republicans took the walk back seriously.
Mulvaney also announced that the next G7 summit would be at trump’s Doral resort. By Saturday Trump scrapped those plans, after much pushback. According to the Washington Post: “several GOP lawmakers have reached out to White House officials to urge Trump to reconsider his Doral decision, which they worry smacks of corruption.”
The Washington Post interviewed over 20 GOP members in Congress: “There’s now a growing sense among a quiet group of Republicans that the president is playing with fire, taking their loyalty for granted as they’re forced to ‘defend the indefensible.'”
On Friday General McRaven published an op-ed against Trump in The New York Times: “if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it.”
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Trump’s Job Approval: 41.5%