Pence Won’t Declassify Details Of Zelensky Call, Despite Schiff’s Demands

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18:  U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks to members of the media as Vice President Mike Pence listens (L) during a lunch with service members at the Roosevelt Room of the White House July 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump took questions from the press and discussed on health care.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence listens as President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a lunch with armed service members at the Roosevelt Room of the White House July 18, 2... WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence listens as President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a lunch with armed service members at the Roosevelt Room of the White House July 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump took questions from the press and discussed the status of the healthcare legislation. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Vice President Mike Pence will not declassify additional testimony provided to the House Intelligence Committee by his national security aide Jennifer Williams, claiming through his lawyer that the impeachment inquiry is over.

Williams turned over the information, which details a September 18 call between Pence and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, a week after she publicly testified.

Per Politico, Pence’s lawyer Matthew Morgan wrote a letter to House Intel Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) saying that it “serves no purpose” to declassify the information at this point in the process.

Morgan also seemingly lashed out at Williams for sharing the testimony at all, adding that “the contents of a classified call with a foreign head of state should never have been discussed in an unclassified committee hearing or an unclassified deposition.”

Schiff wrote to Pence asking him to declassify the information on Friday, saying that there is no “legitimate” reason to keep the testimony a secret.

During her public testimony on that phone call, Williams characterized the conversation as a “very positive” followup to a meeting, and said that there was no mention of the investigations.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: