House Democrats sent their request Tuesday to have acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney testify as part of their impeachment inquiry probe.
They’re hoping to add the top Trump aide to an already crowded deposition schedule this week and eye Friday for his testimony.
In a letter to Mr. Mulvaney, the heads of the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees — Reps. Adam Schiff, Carolyn Maloney and Eliot Engel — said he had first-hand information vital to the probe.
“Specifically, the investigation has revealed that you may have been directly involved in an effort orchestrated by President Trump, his personal agent, Rudolph Giuliani, and others to without a coveted White House meeting and nearly $400 million in security assistance,” the letter read.
The crux of the impeachment inquiry is that Mr. Trump used his position to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into Vice President Joseph R. Biden and son Hunter’s connection to a corrupt Ukrainian energy company.
William Taylor, a top American diplomat in Ukraine, told lawmakers that he understood the order to withhold the military aid came from the Office of Management and Budget after passing through the president and the chief of staff.
Mr. Mulvaney was the director of the OMB until he was named as Mr. Trump’s acting chief of staff in December.
Last month in a White House press briefing, Mr. Mulvaney linked the nearly $400 million in delayed military aid for Ukraine to the administration’s desire for an investigation into the 2016 election and whether DNC servers were located in the foreign country.
He later walked back his remarks and said the news media misconstrued them to further their “witch hunt.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.