Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump has said he “doesn’t remember” a compromising call he allegedly had with Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, which top diplomat Bill Taylor raised at the House impeachment inquiry on Wednesday, saying a member of his staff had overheard Mr Trump asking Mr Sondland about “the investigations”.
House investigators heard from Mr Taylor and State Department official George Kent yesterday, with both men describing the administration’s “irregular” dealings with Ukraine as the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his allies pushed for an anti-corruption probe into domestic political rival Joe Biden.
Republican counsel Steve Castor was ridiculed for his part in proceedings.
While the president entertained Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House and said he was not following the drama unfold, a federal appeals court in DC cleared the path for Congress to pursue Mr Trump’s tax records, setting up a potential Supreme Court battle.
Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal
Show all 26
On Thursday, the president petitioned the Supreme Court to shield his tax returns from federal prosecutors.
The news arrived as he boarded Air Force One for yet another rally in Louisiana to boost support for a Republican running against the state's Democratic governor.
The upcoming legal battle will likely test the limits of Mr Trump's presidential powers.
The Independent has published an editorial on yesterday's impeachment hearings with a damning prediction on what's to come: "In the end, that extreme partisanship will prevent the impeachment proceedings, if they get that far, from throwing Mr Trump out of office."
Nancy Pelosi has said an investigation into Donald Trump's phone call with Ukraine found evidence of “bribery” — an impeachable act — that was corroborated by two key impeachment witnesses in public testimonies this week.
Speaking at her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, the House speaker told reporters on Thursday that Mr Trump’s alleged wrongdoings “make what Nixon did look almost small,” referring to the impeachment of former President Richard Nixon.
“The devastating testimony corroborated evidence of bribery uncovered in the inquiry and that the president abused power,” Ms Pelosi said, “and violated his oath by threatening to withhold military aid and a White House meeting in exchange for an investigation into a political rival.”
Rudy Giuliani has said – apparently in jest – he has “insurance” on Donald Trump, should the president and his aides decide to try and blame him for the mounting controversy over the administration’s dealings with Ukraine.
A day after Democrats on Capitol Hill called their public witnesses to testify about Mr Trump’s July phone call with the leader of Ukraine and Mr Giuliani’s private outreach to Kiev, the former New York mayor said he believed the president would remain loyal to him.
Asked by the Guardian if he was concerned about being “thrown under the bus”, Mr Giuliani replied: “I’m not, but I do have very, very good insurance, so if he does, all my hospital bills will be paid.”
The report said Mr Giuliani. who has been serving as Mr Trump’s personal attorney, spoke with a slight laugh in his voice. It also said Mr Giuliani’s own lawyer, Robert Costello, whom he retained as the impeachment pressure intensified, interjected into the interview: “He’s joking.”
Vladimir Putin has said he hopes Donald Trump will come to Russia for Victory Day on May 9 in 2020, adding that Moscow was ready for talks with Washington. Last week president Trump said he is "thinking about" going to the parade, which commemorates the end of the Second World War with a display of the country's military might. Today Putin said it would be the "right" thing for his US counterpart to attend the event in Moscow.
Meanwhile in the closely watched Kentucky race, Republican Governor Matt Bevin conceded to Democrat Andy Beshear. Bevin, an ally of Donald Trump, made the dramatic announcement outside his statehouse office on the same day election officials across Kentucky double-checked vote totals at his request. "We're going to have a change in the governorship based upon the vote of the people," Bevin said at the news conference. Bevin trailed by several thousand votes in the state.
A report released today by Senator Jeff Merkley is a scathing attack on the Trump administration's immigration policies. The lengthy document includes a collection of whistleblower accounts looking at the White House's tough crackdown on migrants trying to cross the US-Mexico border.
The report suggests Trump's administration has used "cruelty as deterrence", and goes into detail of how the administration has tried to block migrants from seeking asylum in America.
The president will be late to his rally in Bossier City, where he'll be rooting for Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone against the Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards ahead of this weekend's election.
As much as Trump wants a win after election blows earlier this month, he's a bit preoccupied.
He was seen meeting with Attorney General William Barr and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone before leaving DC.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies