Trump administration blocks ambassador from testifying in House impeachment deposition

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 as part of 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.

But the move, first reported by the New York Times, prompted new warnings from Democrats that such acts will be seen as obstruction of its investigation into the controversy surrounding Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“The failure to produce this witness, the failure to produce these documents, we consider yet additional strong evidence of obstruction of the constitutional functions of Congress,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told reporters Tuesday morning.

An attorney for Sondland said the order not to appear came from the State Department. Attorney Robert Luskin said Sondland, who had previously agreed to appear voluntarily for the closed session, is required to follow the department's direction. No reason for the direction was cited, he said.

Luskin said Sondland "is profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify." His statement said: "Ambassador Sondland hopes that the issues raised by the State Department that preclude his testimony will be resolved promptly. He stands ready to testify on short notice, whenever he is permitted to appear."

Fox News is told, however, that while Sondland is not showing up "for now," Schiff plans to draft a subpoena to try to secure his testimony later in the day.