OnPolitics impeachment update: Congress v. White House edition

IMPEACHMENT. 2020 ELECTION. WASHINGTON. AND MORE FROM THE POLITICS WORLD.

Tuesday, October 8

Things are heating up in the impeachment inquiry. Here's what to know today.

Remember yesterday, when we laid out the week of upcoming interviews slated for the impeachment inquiry?

Well, throw all that out, because it's going to be a wild week in Washington.

The most important news to know today

We awoke this morning to news that the State Department had told Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, not to appear at his scheduled interview with the House of Representatives Joint Committee.

And now, the House Democrats have stated they are going to subpoena him.

Here's what's going down:

•	Sondland had agreed "to appear voluntarily ... in order to answer the committee's questions on an expedited basis," according to his attorney, but as a sitting U.S. ambassador is required to follow the State Department's directive.
•	Trump said the interview block is because the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry is illegitimate. "I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican's rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public," he tweeted Tuesday morning.
•	The administration's move to block Sondland's testimony, as well as withhold relevant documents, is "strong evidence of obstruction" of justice, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who leads the House Intelligence Committee.

The back-and-forths go on and on. There are tweets. There are official statements. And honestly, they're a pretty good read.

•	China has reportedly rejected Trump's request to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, with officials saying the country doesn't want to get involved in U.S. domestic politics.
•	The Justice Department told a federal judge that a House committee investigating President Donald Trump is not entitled to grand jury evidence from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, saying it has failed to explain which specific testimony it needs access to or how it would help its investigation into potential obstruction by the president.
•	Want to know WTF is even happening? Here's visual timeline.