Democrats have scheduled two closed days this week, including one Tuesday from bill Taylor, the top official at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. In text messages with other U.S. diplomats, Taylor raised the alarm that the White house is holding back military aid to Ukraine and pushing for an investigation into the 2016 U.S. election and the energy company that hired former Vice President Joe Biden’s son hunter Biden.

Acting White house chief of staff Mick Mulvaney continues to back away from qui-Pro quo as a senior diplomat defends the role of trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giulianis in Ukraine.

Trump reversed course on hosting the G-7 summit at his club after learning that impeachment-weary Republicans were tired of defending him.

Inside Joe Biden fights efforts to reform Ukraine, which has won him successes and enemies.

What’s next in the trump impeachment investigation Pelosi Bulletin whistleblower Claim rough transcript of trump’s phone conversation with Zelensky

8 PM: the House requests the judge to podbrosit the trump suit to protect him of the state of new York, tax return from lawmakers

The house on Monday asked a U.S. judge to dismiss a lawsuit by President trump that seeks to prevent lawmakers from requesting his new York state tax returns, arguing that no U.S. court has ever barred Congress from even considering a lawsuit before it decided to act.

The filing was filed in Washington after trump sued as a private citizen to stop the House ways and means Committee from using new York’s recently passed law to obtain state tax records.

While trump’s lawyers have acknowledged that the Committee has not yet requested the records, they argue that without an emergency court order, if the President waited until lawmakers moved in, his returns could be disclosed before his lawsuit could be heard in court.

Read more here.

Spencer S. Hsu

19:00: the House of representatives rejected a Republican resolution to censure Schiff for investigating trump’s impeachment

The house of representatives on Monday voted along party lines to pass a Republican resolution to condemn Adam Schiff for his handling of the investigation into President trump’s impeachment. The final vote was 218-185, with Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) vote with Democrats to reject the resolution.

The measure, supported by 173 Republicans and introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), did not specifically respond to Schiff’s remarks at the September 26 hearing, in which he paraphrased the fit-fit transcript of a July phone conversation between trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

Trump has repeatedly characterized the call, in which he called on Vladimir Zelensky to investigate the Bidens, as perfect and attacked Schiff for embellishing the transcript. Schiff later said that his words were intended as a parody.

The President called Schiff a crooked politician during his Cabinet meeting Monday and said, without evidence, that Schiff may have been the informant’s informant whose complaint sparked an impeachment investigation.

So was there really an informant? Trump asked. Maybe Schiff was the informant. It could be a displaced Schiff.

During a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers trump also said that the Republicans need to toughen the fight against impeachment investigation.

It will be said of house Republicans when they found they lacked the courage to confront the most dangerous and unethical President in American history, they consoled themselves by attacking those who did, he wrote.

Pelosi, in a statement, praised Schiff and said he stands in stark contrast to Republicans in Congress who hide the truth, look the other way when the President suggests foreign governments interfere in our elections and vote against legislation to secure ballots from foreign attacks.

In a statement, house minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) condemned Schiff’s reckless behavior, adding that He had not fallen behind in his duties as a member of Congress.

Biggs reiterated this view, and in a separate statement claimed that the American people are very aware of the reckless disregard for the truth.

They will not tolerate his calculated words and actions as he continues his secret impeachment investigation to undermine the will of Americans, Biggs wrote.

House Democrats are adding legal firepower to their ranks as they move from investigative mode to the impeachment process, according to several house Democratic officials.

The judicial Committee of the house of representatives added an impeachment scholar Joshua Matz, an expert on constitutional law and a former lawyer Kaplan Hecker

Matz, who clerked for former Supreme court justice Anthony M. Kennedy, recently wrote a book to end the presidency: the Power of impeachment, with another impeachment scholar the Democrats consulted, Lawrence tribe.

The tribe, though not on staff or pay, has also become a regular source of advice for house Democrats, especially for its former students who are currently in the thick of an impeachment probe: Schiff and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), both of whom attended the tribe at Harvard law School.

Tribe has been a vocal critic of trump both in writing and on television and boasts more than 600,000 followers on Twitter. He also has a direct line to House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), these people said.

The House judiciary Committee declined to comment, as did the tribe. Matz could not be reached for comment.

Several officials familiar with house Democrats preparing for impeachment said there is not much time to hire new lawyers, given how quickly democratic leaders hope to move to impeachment. Pelosi and her top lieutenants are still hopeful that impeachment will be completed by the end of the year, though that timeline seems increasingly complicated with Democrats in town for only six weeks this year.

A judicial panel earlier this year brought in two weightlifting lawyers who are still in place and expected to help steer the group through impeachment: Norman L. Eisen and Barry H. Burke.

Rachel Bade

5 p.m.: Buttigieg criticizes trump for calling out phony remuneration provisions.

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South bend, FLA., spoke out in response to trump’s remarks about the fake emoluments clause.

You can’t support your vow to defend and defend the Constitution if you think its fake, Buttigieg tweeted in response to the Trump quote Monday.

The President made the comment to reporters while defending his now-abandoned decision to host the next 7 years group summit at the private Golf resort he has in Doral, Fla.

Buttigieg joins a chorus of democratic lawmakers who have mocked trump for his phony comment including Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who tweeted: My instinct and I’m not kidding is that someone just explained his position to him, maybe for the first time.

3:30 PM: No deposition Thursday or Friday in connection with the events in honor of Cummings

Several closed-door testimony will be rescheduled this week due to events honoring the late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), according to the official working on the impeachment investigation.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine bill Taylor, who Democrats say is a key figure in the investigation, will still testify Tuesday. In text messages with two other U.S. diplomats, Taylor raised the alarm about the White house holding back military aid to Ukraine, calling him crazy to withhold security assistance to aid a political campaign and a nightmare scenario.

House investigators are expected to hear from Ambassador Philip Riker, acting assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Michael Duffy, Deputy Director for national security programs at the Office of management and budget, but the official said Wednesday’s testimony will not take place again.

Laura Cooper, the Deputy assistant Secretary of defense, which includes Russia and Ukraine, will testify at a closed session on Wednesday, the official said. She was originally scheduled to testify Thursday.

2:50 PM: Nearly a half-dozen Democrats to consider proposals to replace Cummings as Chairman of the house oversight

The race to replace Cummings as Chairman of the powerful House oversight and reform Committee is already going quietly, with nearly half a dozen Democrats considering bids to replace him.

The potentially contentious contest, which will involve issues of seniority, diversity and effectiveness, will determine which Democrat inherits the lead role in the ongoing investigation into trump’s impeachment as one of the three chairmen co-directing the investigation.

The candidates range from the most senior to the more Junior Democrats in the group, represent a mix of genders and races, and have focused on various areas of Committee work, from citizenship and census issues to his ongoing investigations into the Trump administration and business dealings.

Read more here.

Kalun Demirjian and Mike Debonis

14:45: Schumer asks intelligence officers to be ready, if trump will expose informant

Senate minority leader Charles Schumer on Monday expressed concern that trump might reveal the identity of a whistleblower whose complaint sparked an impeachment investigation and asked U.S. intelligence officials how they plan to protect him.

In light of the presidents ‘ reckless statements, his disrespect for the rule of law, and his well-documented habit of condoning violence by his supporters, I am concerned that he may reveal the identity of whistleblowers or force it to reveal others in the Administration, Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to Joseph Maguire, acting Director of national intelligence, and Michael K. Atkinson, inspector General of the intelligence community.

I understand that some security measures may have already been put in place, but I fear that security risks could intensify if whistleblowers ‘ identities are revealed, Schumer warned. I also note reports that one or more additional whistleblowers may come forward, creating additional security concerns. I therefore ask you to inform me of your plans to ensure the proper protection of these informants.

Democratic lawmakers were quick to lambast and ridicule Trump’s Monday complaints about this phony financial provision.

Trump believes any part of the Constitution that prohibits his corruption is illegitimate, Republican bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N. J.) wrote on Twitter. Remember when Republicans called themselves strict constitutionalists?

Trump’s comments came during his Cabinet meeting as he defended his now-reversed decision to host the 2020 Group of seven summit at the Golf resort he owns in Doral, Florida. He suggested that he was being treated differently than other presidents, and then told reporters that you people are with this fake reward clause.

Online reaction from Democrats in Congress has been swift, with some citing articles and section numbers in the Constitution. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) tweeted a picture with the corresponding part circled in red.

Ignorance of the Constitution is no excuse for violating it, Mr. President, she wrote. I keep a lot on hand in my office for voters or other visitors. Welcome to one of them.

Tweeted Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii): My instinct and I’m not kidding is that someone just explained my position to him, maybe for the first time.

13:00: trump condemns this fake remuneration clause

Trump denounced that phony reward clause Monday as he continued to defend his now-abandoned decision to hold a group of seven international summit in the coming years at the private Miami Golf club he owns.

Speaking to reporters who were allowed to attend the Cabinet meeting, trump suggested he was being held to different standards than other presidents, including those who were also wealthy.

Other presidents, if you look, other presidents have been rich, not huge and great wealth, he said. George Washington was considered a very, very rich man at the time. But they ran their business. George Washington, they say, had two tables. He had a presidential Desk and a business Desk.

At this point, trump was complaining about you people with this fake reward clause.

Under the emoluments clause of the Constitution, presidents are not allowed to use the office to enrich themselves.

Trump reversed course on holding the “Seven” in Miami’s National Doral after conservative allies told him Republicans were struggling to defend him on several fronts. Democrats have considered the question of adding to the alleged violation of remuneration to the articles of impeachment that they prepare.

12:45: trump calls for Republicans to toughen the fight for impeachment

Trump praised the unity of the Democratic party in the impeachment investigation and said his party should get tougher and fight back.

Trump was referring to the Republican Senator from Utah, who called trump’s attempts to seek foreign investigations of his political rivals wrong and appalling.

Republicans need to get tougher and fight back, trump said during a Cabinet meeting. We have some that are great fighters, but they have to get tougher and fight because Democrats are trying to hurt the Republican party in the election, which is going up where they did very well.

12:30 PM: trump lashed out at the impeachment inquiry, suggests Schiff can be a informant of informant

Trump again criticized the impeachment investigation during a Cabinet meeting, calling it a fake investigation and saying Democrats are trying to impeach him because they are unable to defeat him at the ballot box.

I think they want to impeach me because that’s the only way to win, ” trump told reporters in the audience.

Trump also all took aim at Schiff, calling him a crooked politician and suggesting without evidence that he could have been an informant’s informant whose complaint sparked an impeachment investigation.

So was there really an informant? trump said. Maybe Schiff was the informant. It could be a displaced Schiff.

Trump reiterated his claim that his July phone conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was perfect. The call was one in which trump pressured Zelensky to investigate the Bidens case at a time when nearly $ 400 million in military aid to Ukraine was being withheld.

11: 15am: trump allies in Congress have renewed attacks on the process

On the eve of another week of scheduled testimony, trump’s allies in Congress renewed their attacks on the impeachment investigation, and Democrats took the lead.

This PROCESS was a joke

On Fox News, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) also highlighted the venue of the hearings, saying they are being held in the basement of the Capitol where no one can see. He said that the process was unfair and in contrast to other queries about impeachment.

By process, this is not your average investigation, Jordan said. It’s about impeaching the President of the United States 13 months before the election because they fear he will win in 2020.

Democrats say testimony behind closed doors is necessary so that witnesses do not have the advantage of hearing each other’s testimony. Democratic and Republican lawmakers and staffers attended and asked questions.

Leading Democrats compared what is happening now to the fact-finding process conducted by the Grand jury, and said that public hearings will be held later.

11: 00: Giuliani released from prison

Lev Parnassus, one of two associates of trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani accused of violating campaign Finance laws, was released from jail in Alexandria on Monday morning after paying $200,000 bail.

The truth is on my side, and God is with me, Parnassus said as he left the courthouse with his wife Svetlana, son Aaron and a private security guard.

Parnassus new lawyer, Edward McMahon, successfully argued last week that the initial $ 1 million bond set by the judge judge was excessively high.

Like his co-defendant Igor Fruman, who was released last week, Parnassus must remain at his Florida home except for a court appearance and is being monitored by GPS. Both are set to appear in court in new York on Wednesday.

Rachel Weiner

10:30: trump Jr. focuses on the members of the GOP, not supporting censure

Donald trump Jr. tried Monday to put pressure on Republicans who have not signed on to try to condemn Schiff.

The eldest son of presidents retweeted a list of 23 house Republicans who do not support the resolution as co-sponsors. The Twitter thread urged trump supporters to check if your representative is on that list and name them now!

Pelos ‘ office released a four-page newsletter citing the most compelling evidence yet of what Democrats call a gross abuse of power by trump.

Quotes fall into three categories: shake-up, pressure campaign, and cover-up.

As evidence of the shake-up, the newsletter quotes a crude transcript from the Trumps July call with Zelensky, which it says paints a damning picture of trump abusing his office by pressing a foreign government to intervene in our 2020 election.

Trump, the document alleges, betrayed his oath of office, betrayed our national security, and was killed by the integrity of our elections for his own personal political gain.

Evidence of campaign pressure includes several texts from state Department officials, including one in which Taylor says I think his crazy to hold off security assis tance for helping with a political campaign.

As evidence of a cover-up, the document points to a complaint filed by a whistleblower that sparked an impeachment investigation.

In it, an anonymous US intelligence official claims that senior White house officials intervened to block all phone call records and uploaded the transcript to a separate electronic system used to store and process clas sified information of a particularly sensitive nature.

9: 45 a.m.: GOP Rep. Biggs says censure resolution will let Schiff know how disappointed we are

The Republic Of Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the lead author of the resolution seeking to condemn Schiff, said forcing a debate on the issue would let Schiff know himself how disappointed we are.

Biggss comments came during an interview on Fox News hours before the house is expected to address the censure of the resolution, which is supported by 173 Republicans.

Biggs argued that it was also important for Democrats to speak formally about the impeachment process, which he criticized for largely taking place behind closed doors.

It gives Democrats an opportunity to show where they are on due process and they get to say they were quite happy with the closed door impeachment investigation, or they get to say It’s not quite right and we want to do it right.

Schiff said testimony behind closed doors is necessary so that witnesses do not have the advantage to hear each other’s testimony. Questions are being asked by both democratic and Republican lawmakers and staffers, and Schiff said transcripts will be released later.

Biggs said Republicans have lost confidence in Schiff.

HES not a fair arbiter and that’s part of what it goes for, Biggs Said. He kind of poisoned the well here.

9: 20 a.m.: trump continues to insist that his Golf club is the best place for the G-7

Trump continued to insist Monday that his private Miami Golf club would be the best place to host a group of seven international summit in the coming years, two days after he backed away from the plan amid criticism from impeachment weary Republicans.

Doral in Miami would be the best place to host the G-7, and free, but too much heat from do Nothing Radical left Democrats

Trump changed course late in the evening on Saturday after a conservative allies told him that the Republicans are struggling to defend it on multiple fronts. Democrats have been mulling adding the alleged reward violation to the impeachment articles they are preparing.

8:35 am: trump offers to the Democrats in the House of representatives to vote for the condemnation of Schiff

Trump tried to get house Democrats to join his fellow Republicans in voting for a resolution to censure Schiff on Monday.

Censure (at least) the Corrupt Adam Schiff! Trump wrote on Twitter. After what he’s caught doing, any pol who doesn’t vote like that can’t be honest are you listening to the Dems?

Democrats who control the house are expected to reverse the resolution.

Trump repeatedly attacked Schiff for a statement at a hearing last month in which he embellished a transcript of a July phone conversation in which trump pressured Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to investigate the Bidens.

Schiff later said his remarks were intended as a parody, and that trump and others who criticized him should have acknowledged it.

8: 15am: a New poll has found that 51 percent of adults in the US support trump’s ouster

According to a poll released Monday by The Institute for public religion research, 51% of U.S. adults support the impeachment of the Trump administration and removal from office. That’s up from 47 percent in mid-September before the impeachment investigation was announced.

The poll showed that 93 percent of Republicans oppose impeachment and removal from power, which is virtually unchanged from the previous poll. But support for impeachment among Democrats jumped 10 percentage points, to 88 percent.

Independents remained divided, with 49 percent currently in favor of impeachment, according to the poll.

Support for impeachment and removal ranged from 43 percent to 52 percent in other independent national polls released this month.

8 am: House Democrats seek to disrupt the resolution of condemnation Schiff

House Democrats will seek Monday to derail a Republican-backed resolution seeking to condemn Schiff for the way he handled the impeachment investigation.

Republicans pressed the issue last week, but lawmakers decided to delay the vote after the death of House oversight and reform Committee Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), who was admired on both sides of the aisle.

Schiff later said his remarks were intended as a parody, and that trump and others who criticized him should have acknowledged it.

The resolution, which has the support of trump and the GOP leadership, also targets Schiff for other actions, including those related to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the trump Campaign during the 2016 election.

Shortly after 6: 30 p.m., House Democrats are expected to move to a resolution table. If successful, it would prevent a vote on the resolution itself.

Trump called for support for the resolution last week and took a new aim at Schiff in a tweet on Sunday night.

7am: A series of closed door deposition is planned for this week

House investigators are planning closed-door testimony from several witnesses this week, starting Tuesday with acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine bill Taylor believed by Democrats to be a key figure in the probe.

Taylor, in text messages with two other U.S. diplomats, raised the alarm about the White house holding back military aid to Ukraine, calling him crazy to withhold security assistance to aid a political campaign and a nightmare scenario.

Officials say trump wanted to check as a condition of meeting with Ukraine

Lawmakers are expected to hear from Ambassador Philip Reeder, acting assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Michael Duffy, Deputy Director for national security programs at the Office of management and budget, on Wednesday. Duffis ‘ signature was on letters seeking help for Ukraine.

Laura Cooper, Deputy assistant Secretary of defense, which includes Russia and Ukraine, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander windman, Director of European Affairs at the national security Council, are expected to testify on Thursday.

6: 30 a.m.: trump will hold the first Cabinet meeting since the investigation began

Trump plans to call his first Cabinet meeting after house Democrats launched an impeachment investigation.

The white house said part of the meeting would be open to reporters, which could provide Trump with an opportunity to voice his final thoughts on impeachment and other issues. He has no other public events on Monday.

6am: trump shares clips from Fox News ‘ sympathetic program

Trump took to Twitter late Sunday to share several clips from the next revolution with Steve Hilton, a Fox News program with a sympathetic penchant for what trump faces in the impeachment investigation.

In one clip, host Steve Hilton accuses Democrats of engaging in party politics dressed as a principle and decries a parade of bureaucrats coming out of the shadows to attack President trump.

Their loyalty to their bureaucratic establishment agenda, Hilton says of the unaccountable bureaucrats who provided testimony last week to house investigators.

In another clip, Hilton says Joe Biden and his son hunter Biden offered a rather pathetic explanation for the younger Biden’s service aboard a Ukrainian energy company.