4 White House officials set to skip impeachment depositions


None of the White House officials who were scheduled to testify Monday in the impeachment inquiry are expected to actually do so.
National Security Council lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis were scheduled to testify Monday, as were Robert Blair, assistant to the president and senior adviser to acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and Office of Management and Budget official Brian McCormack. But CNN reports all four officials aren't expected to show up for their depositions.
For Blair, Ellis and McCormack, this is reportedly because they won't be able to have an administration lawyer present, while an administration official cited executive privilege to CNN as the reason for Eisenberg snubbing Congress. The Wall Street Journal reports the officials are acting at the White House's direction.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry is also not expected to testify this week as scheduled, while two more Office of Management and Budget officials are set to skip their depositions as well, CNN reports.
Congress is investigating whether President Trump abused his power by withholding aid to Ukraine to secure investigations that might help him politically, and The Wall Street Journal notes lawmakers are probing the Office of Management and Budget's involvement in placing a hold on the aid. Politico's Kyle Cheney reports Blair and Ellis have been issued subpoenas, but Blair's attorney previously told Politico he wouldn't testify if he received a subpoena.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Week Recommends The world's biggest arts festival is back with an incredible line-up
-
Wonsan-Kalma: North Korea's new 'mammoth' beach resort
Under the Radar Pyongyang wants to boost tourism but there won't be many foreign visitors to Kim Jong Un's 'pet project'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities