The Trump administration ordered the U.S. ambassador to the European Union not to appear at a scheduled Tuesday deposition on the Ukraine controversy, triggering a fiery new clash with House Democrats amid their impeachment inquiry. President Trump dismissed the deposition as a "kangaroo court" as he defended the decision to block Gordon Sondland from appearing at the closed-door session on Capitol Hill. His statement said: "Ambassador Sondland hopes that the issues raised by the State Department that preclude his testimony will be resolved promptly. While a call transcript shows the president urging a Biden-related investigation, Trump denies any 'quid pro quo' claims. On Monday, House Democrats issued a fresh round of subpoenas to the Pentagon and the White House Office of Management and Budget for documents relating to reports that Trump ordered then-acting OMB Chief Mick Mulvaney to freeze aid to Ukraine.

Source: Fox News October 08, 2019 12:38 UTC