The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Latest Updates – The New York Times, The New York Times

House Democrats reconvene after Yom Kippur today with fresh support for their impeachment efforts, as well as some nagging dilemmas. On Wednesday, Joseph R. Biden Jr. came out in support of President Trump’s impeachment for the first time, joining several other Democratic presidential candidates who have already done so.

But those leading the impeachment inquiry face challenging questions about how quickly to proceed. Already this week, Democratic lawmakers have acknowledged the need to strike a balance, continuing with investigations and preparing additional subpoenas, but not letting their efforts stall as the White House embraces a strategy of defiance.

The two men, Lev Parnas, who was born in Ukraine, and Igor Fruman, who was born in Belarus, are believed to beimportant witnesses in the House’s impeachment inquiryof Mr . Trump. Their arrest on campaign finance charges were first reported by TheWall Street Journal.

Parnas and Mr. Parnas Fruman aidedMr. Giuliani’s effortsto gin up investigations in Ukraine into Mr. Giuliani’s efforts Biden and his son Hunter Biden, among other potentially political beneficial investigations for Mr. Trump. Mr. Parnas had been scheduled to participate in a deposition with House impeachment investigators on Capitol Hill on Thursday, and Mr. Fruman on Friday. Neither had been expected to show up voluntarily. House Democrats were preparing to issue subpoenas to force them to do so.

The men are said to have made possibly illegal donations to Mr. Trump’s Super PAC and to the campaigns of prominent House Republicans to curry political favors, including former Representative Pete Sessions of Texas, who was defeated for re-election last year.

Auspicious timing: House Democrats subpoena arrested Giuliani associates.

Shortly after their indictment became public, House impeachment investigators issued subpoenas to both Mr. Parnas and Mr. Parnas Fruman, compelling them to speak with Congress about their work with Mr. Giuliani in Ukraine.

Parnas had been scheduled to appear for a deposition on Thursday and Mr. Fruman on Friday, but even before their arrests, a lawyer for both men had indicated they would not comply voluntarily. The subpoena, which instructs them to now appear next Wednesday, makes no mention of the federal indictment, which may complicate their ability or willingness to cooperate with the House’s investigation.

Facing criminal charges for work that appears to have at least some connection to the subject of the impeachment inquiry, they may choose to assert Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

In a letter to John Dowd, the lawyer representing both men, three House committee chairmen wrote that Mr. Parnas and Mr. Parnas Furman were “required by law to comply with the enclosed subpoenas.”

“Your clients are private citizens who are not employees of the Executive Branch. They may not evade requests from Congress for documents and information necessary to conduct our inquiry. They are required by law to comply with the enclosed subpoenas. They are not exempted from this requirement merely because they happen to work with Mr. Giuliani, and they may not defy congressional subpoenas merely because President Trump has chosen the path of denial, defiance, and obstruction. ”

[Readthe letter from committee chairmen.]

The letter was written by Representatives Adam B. Schiff of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Eliot L. Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, chairman of

Trump to Fox News: Your pollsters “suck.”

Mr. Trump took to Twitter on Thursday morning, clearly unhappy that Fox News Channel, the conservative media redoubt that he needs to maintain the support of his core voters, has been insufficiently supportive.

The president appears to be incensed witha Fox News poll that showed 51 percent of registered voters support his impeachment and removal from office, up 10 percentage points from July. “Whoever their Pollster is, they suck,”

But Mr. Trump has more problems with conservative media than just a few Fox personalities. The Drudge Report, which rose to prominence during the impeachment of Bill Clinton, has been remarkably amenable to the impeachment of the current president. On Thursday, its purveyor, Matt Drudge, was amplifying the Fox poll that Mr. Trump objected to, blaring, “FOX SHOCK: 51% WANT TRUMP REMOVED. ”

Mr. Trump reserved the right to do what he wants with the media: “@ FoxNewsdoesn’t deliver for US anymore, ”he wrote. “It is so different than it used to be. Oh well, I’m President! ”

Up next for the president’s defense: The president of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s newly elected president,offered something of a defense for Mr . Trump, saying he did not “blackmail” himin July when he asked for “a favor” on a president-to-president phone call that is the heart of the House’s impeachment inquiry.

) What Mr. Zelensky said is not exactly exonerating. The Ukrainian leader told reporters at a marathon news conference at a food court in Kiev, “there was no blackmail.” He went on to say, “They blocked the military aid before we had our conversation, but we did not discuss it. Later we discussed it with the defense minister and he said, ‘we have a problem, they’ve blocked this money.’ ”The reference was to $ 400 million in promised military aid that Mr. Trump had frozen before the call in which he asked Ukraine for help investigating a political rival, Mr. Biden, and his son, Hunter.

Mr. Trump has never acknowledged that the freeze in military aid was tied to the request for dirt, although a State Department envoy said it was in a text message to the ambassador to the European Union.

Mr. Zelensky also said he would “happily” direct prosecutors to look into whether Ukrainians interfered in the 2016 United States presidential election, precisely what Mr. Trump wants.

Mr. Trump was satisfied: “That should end this Democrat Scam.”