Trump bars envoy's testimony, escalating impeachment fight

President Donald Trump intensified his fight with Congress Tuesday over the Democrats' impeachment investigation, as the administration blocked a US diplomat from testifying behind closed doors about the president's dealings with Ukraine.

Gordon Sondland, the US European Union ambassador, was barred from appearing in a closed-door session with three House panels investigating Trump's entreaties to Ukraine.

Text messages released last week revealed conversations between Sondland and two other US diplomats who were acting as intermediaries as the president urged Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden's family and the 2016 US election.

House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sondland's no-show was "yet additional strong evidence" of obstruction of Congress by Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. That will only strengthen the Democrats' case as they conduct an impeachment inquiry and consider an eventual impeachment vote, he said.

"By preventing us from hearing from this witness and obtaining these documents, the president and secretary of state are taking actions that prevent us from getting the facts needed to protect the nation's security," Schiff said.

"For this impeachment inquiry we are determined to find answers." Sondland's absence raised questions about whether other witnesses called by the committee would appear. Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine who was recalled from the post, is scheduled to testify Friday, and the committee has called two other State Department officials.

Trump indicated on Tuesday morning that it might have been his own decision to block Sondland's testimony, tweeting that he would "love to send Ambassador Sondland" to testify, "but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court."
"The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's of any kind. The President is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelenskiy promise during his campaign," he wrote, adding, "I suggest we stop the back and forth by text."