Longtime White House budget official expected to testify in impeachment inquiry

Mark Sandy, a career employee at the White House Office of Management and Budget, is expected to testify behind closed doors Saturday in the House impeachment inquiry, The Washington Post reports.
The White House has ordered administration officials not to participate in the inquiry, and other OMB employees have ignored congressional subpoenas to appear before lawmakers, including Russell T. Vought, the agency's acting director. Most inquiry witnesses have been served with subpoenas right before their depositions are slated to begin, and Sandy's attorney Barbara Van Gelder said on Thursday evening, "If he is subpoenaed, he will appear."
Sandy has worked in the OMB on and off for 10 years, during Democratic and Republican administrations, and could likely answer questions about the decision made this summer to hold up $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Sandy was one of several OMB staffers who had questions about the hold up, people familiar with the situation told the Post, and part of his job was to sign documents related to the matter. He signed one piece of paper in July, they said, but after that, a political appointee in the OMB, Mike Duffey, took over the process of approving and denying funds. Duffey has ignored a subpoena to testify.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates