Impeachment News, Nov 5: Trump Runs Offensive Defense, Tells Pelosi To 'Stop Wasting Time'

The House Intelligence Committee released transcripts of two people who had given closed-door testimonies in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. The transcripts raise concerns about the shadow foreign policy that the President's lawyer Rudy Giuliani implemented in order to further the political ambitions of Trump.

Making things worse, Giuliani's aide Lev Parnas has agreed to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. But Trump seemed unfazed and continued his attacks on the Democrats and the whistleblower in his rally to support Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. Running an offensive defense, Trump called out the whistleblower, hit out at the Democrats and said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has to "stop wasting time" and to go back to her own district.

International Business Times brings to you the key developments Monday around the Congressional impeachment inquiry against President Trump.

Transcripts of closed-door testimonies released

The House Intelligence Committee released the transcripts of the closed-door testimony to the public for the first time.

Transcripts from the depositions of former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and Michael McKinley, a former adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were released.

"As we move towards this new public phase of the impeachment inquiry, the American public will begin to see for themselves the evidence that the committees have collected," Representatives Adam Schiff, Eliot Engel and Carolyn Maloney said in a statement. "With each new interview, we learn more about the President's attempt to manipulate the levers of power to his personal political benefit."

Democrats added that the contamination of American foreign policy was highlighted in the transcripts of the testimony.

Yovanovitch felt threatened by Trump’s words

According to the transcripts, Yovanovitch told impeachment investigators that she felt threatened by Trump’s words to Ukraine President Zelensky after she read the transcripts of the call.

On the July 25 phone call, Trump told Zelensky that Yovanovitch was “going to go through some things.”

“I was shocked. I mean, I was very surprised that President Trump would — first of all, that I would feature repeatedly in a presidential phone call; but secondly, that the President would speak about me or any ambassador in that way to a foreign counterpart,” Yovanovitch said.

She was also warned by a Ukraine official to watch her back as the President’s Lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his aides were involved in the process.

McKinley contradicts former boss Pompeo

According to the transcripts, McKinley raised concerns over Marie Yovanovitch’s removal and raised the issue of the State Department issuing a statement of support for the ambassador, before deciding to quit over the politics that was being forced on the diplomats.

"The timing of my resignation was the result of two overriding concerns: the failure in my view, of the State Department to offer support to Foreign Service employees caught up in the impeachment inquiry; and, second, by what appears to be the utilization of our ambassadors overseas to advance domestic political objectives," McKinley said.

Pompeo had told ABC News last October that McKinley never raised the idea of issuing a statement of support for Yovanovitch.

Giuliani aide willing to comply with impeachment inquiry

Rudy Giuliani’s associate Lev Parnas said he was willing to comply with the impeachment inquiry, on Monday.

“He will answer the subpoena to the best of his ability,” Parnas' attorney told Fox News.

This is an about-turn from Parnas’ previous position last month when he rejected requests for testimony and documents from the House Committee.

Separately, Giuliani was subpoenaed by the chairmen of three house committees for documents related to the Ukraine controversy.

Impeachment takes centerstage at Trump’s Kentucky rally

Trump called out the whistleblower, criticized the Democrats and asked Nancy Pelosi to go back to her own district as he looked to turn the impeachment tide in his favor.

He criticized the Democrats, saying they “want to obliterate the rule of law… silence you online, confiscate your guns — you better be careful,” and slammed the "deranged hyper-partisan impeachment witch hunt."

Trump also went full swing against the whistleblower, calling for his identity to be revealed.

“You haven’t heard about the whistleblower after that, have you? Cause the whistleblower said lots of things that weren’t so good folks. You’re gonna find out,” Trump said.

He then turned his attention to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asking her to spend more time in her district in San Francisco to address homelessness and drug abuse.

“Nancy ought to stop wasting time, go back to her district in San Francisco, help the homeless, get rid of the drugs, get rid of the needles that are lying all over the street and all the things that are washing into the ocean through their storm sewer system,” Trump said at the rally.

White House officials skip deposition

Four White House officials who were to testify Monday skipped their sessions.

National Security Council lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis along with Robert Blair and Brian McCormack did not testify Monday.

According to an administration official, Eisenberg didn’t show up due to executive privilege while Blair, Ellis, and McCormack didn’t appear because they weren’t able to have an administration lawyer present.