The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

By Eliza Mackintosh and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 4:29 p.m. ET, October 26, 2019
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8:23 a.m. ET, October 26, 2019

A US diplomat is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill today

From CNN's Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler

Philip Reeker, a career foreign service officer now serving as the acting assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, is scheduled to testify before the three committees conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

He is well regarded among those who know him, with multiple officials pointing to his smarts.

However, sources suggest he won't be bringing any bombshells to his testimony.

About Reeker: He was among the career state officials who undertook a concerted effort to shield then-ambassador Marie Yovanovitch from conspiracies peddled by conservative media outlets beginning in March.

Reeker, along with State Department official George Kent, sought to provide counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl and Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale with facts to counter the conspiratorial narratives being pushed about the career diplomat.

4:41 a.m. ET, October 26, 2019

5 key developments in the impeachment inquiry from yesterday

Here are the latest developments in the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump:

  • A new ruling: A federal judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to release grand jury information redacted from the Mueller report to the House Judiciary Committee by Oct. 30. Chief Judge Beryl Howell noted that the House Judiciary Committee says “it needs the material to conduct a fair impeachment investigation based on all relevant facts.” She then declared, “Impeachment based on anything less than all relevant evidence would compromise the public’s faith in the process.”
  • Subpoenas issued: House Democratic impeachment investigators have issued subpoenas to three Trump administration officials — acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, OMB’s Associate Director of National Security Programs Michael Duffey and State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl.
  • Deposition in discussion: Lawyers for former national security adviser John Bolton have had talks with the impeachment inquiry committees about a possible deposition, according to a source familiar. US diplomat Bill Taylor told Congress this week that Bolton had expressed concerns about a call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president, according to Taylor's opening statement.
  • Trump's remarks: Asked whether he would apologize for referring to the impeachment inquiry as a “lynching,” Trump yesterday pointed the finger at Democrats instead, and said the term has “been used many times" despite its association with the extrajudicial killings of African Americans.
  • Possible new hire: The White House is eyeing former Treasury Department spokesman Tony Sayegh to lead impeachment messaging efforts, three sources familiar with the discussions said. While the President has opposed a war room effort, several of his top aides are increasingly recognizing the need to bolster the White House's messaging operations as Democrats march toward impeachment. Trump has not yet signed off on Sayegh.