Four administration officials scheduled to testify on Monday in the House Democrats’ impeachment investigation will not show up to their allotted hearings.
A source familiar with the situation said that all four are acting under direction from the White House, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Robert Blair, a senior adviser to White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, declined a Democrat invitation to testify, citing “direction from the White House, which is based on advice from the Department of Justice,” according to a statement released by Blair’s attorney, Whit Ellerman, on Sunday.
National Security Council lawyer John Eisenberg will not testify because of executive privilege. Michael Ellis, also an NSC lawyer, and Office of Management and Budget Associate Director Brian McCormack will not testify because neither could bring an administration lawyer to the hearing.
House Democrats also invited Energy Secretary Rick Perry to testify on Wednesday, but Perry has declined the invite, an Energy Department representative said on Friday.
On Oct. 8, White House counsel Pat Cipollone sent a letter to House Democrats announcing that the administration would not cooperate with the impeachment proceedings until the process was made fairer to House Republicans and the White House.
