Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was subpoenaed on Thursday evening to appear before congressional investigators on Friday morning, Axios was first to report.
“Mr. Mulvaney has the opportunity to uphold his oath to the nation and Constitution by testifying tomorrow under oath about matters of keen national importance,” an official working on the impeachment inquiry told CNN. “We hope Mr. Mulvaney does not hide behind the President’s ongoing efforts to conceal the truth and obstruct our investigation.”
But a White House official already told CNN that Mulvaney will likely not appear for the deposition. The subpoena follows a letter sent by House investigators Tuesday that requested Mulvaney appear for testimony by the end of the week.
House Democrats were aiming to grill Mulvaney about his stunning admission of a quid pro quo while speaking to reporters at a press briefing last month. Mulvaney confirmed that military aid to Ukraine was withheld while Trump and his associates pressed the government to open up investigations into Trump’s political rivals.
Hours later, Mulvaney walked back the admission, but that didn’t stop Trump’s allies from publicly attacking his competence for several days.