WASHINGTON-energy Secretary Rick Perry faces a subpoena Friday to hand over documents related to House Democrats ‘ impeachment request of President Donald trump, a day after he offered his resignation.

Speaking to reporters at an event in Alvarado, Texas, on Thursday, trump said Perry would stay until the end of the year, but spoke positively of the former Texas Governor. 

“We already have his replacement. Rick did a fantastic job. But the time has come, ” trump told reporters.

Other trump administration officials, such as Vice President Mike Pence, have refused to turn over the documents to house Democrats as the White house promises not to cooperate in an investigation it considers partisan. Perry has previously refused to commit to complying with the subpoena. 

“The house has issued a subpoena for the records that we have, and our attorney General and white house counsel are going through this process right now,” Perry said on Fox Business in a Wednesday morning interview. “I will follow my lawyer’s lead on this matter.”

On Wednesday, defense Secretary mark Esper said in a letter to congressional chairmen that he would not cooperate with the defense Department subpoena, despite saying in television interviews last Sunday that he would try to cooperate with House Democrats ‘ Subpoenas for documents and testimony related to the investigation.

The impeachment investigation began last month after an informant’s letter accused trump of pressuring Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son hunter.

A group of House Committee chairmen released text messages from diplomats describing an attempt to lobby Zelensky into a public promise to take on the investigation in exchange for nearly $400 million in aid, as well as a private meeting with trump, who denies Wrongdoing.

House Democrats have demanded that the energy Department turn over documents related to trump’s conversation with Zelensky and Perry about a possible role in amplifying that request during a trip to Ukraine.

Perry led the American delegation to Zelensky’s inauguration in may 2019.

House Democrats also requested information related to media reports about Perry’s changes to the governance structure at the Ukrainian energy company in a way that could benefit officials working with trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. 

Mick Mulvaney: Mulvaney, Mick acknowledges that the assistance to Ukraine has been held up in quid pro quo, and then change

Perry was mentioned ten times in Thursday’s testimony Gordon Andland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union. In his prepared opening remarks, Sondland noted that Perry was part of discussions about Giuliani’s role in the development of Relations policy in Ukraine. 

“I understand that Secretary of energy Perry and special envoy Volcker took the initiative to contact Mr. Giuliani, as the President did,” Sondland said in his prepared remarks, referring to Kurt Volcker, the former U.S. special representative to Ukraine.

Perry said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on October 16 that he called Giuliani to understand trump’s concerns about Ukraine.

“And as I recall the conversation, he said,’ Look, the President is really concerned that there are people in Ukraine who tried to defeat him during this presidential election, ‘” Perry told the Wall Street Journal. “He thinks they’re corrupt and … that There are still people out there who are absolutely corrupt.” 

In Sondland’s accounts of the events, he, Volcker and Perry were “disappointed” that the trump administration told them to postpone the conversation between trump and Zelensky until Giuliani was involved in politics in Ukraine.

Deputy assistant Secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Laura Cooper was scheduled to testify before congressional committees on Friday, but an official working on the impeachment investigation told the U.S. today Cooper will appear in a closed session next Thursday, October 24.  

Contributions: Bart Jansen, David Jackson, John Fritze, Crystal Hayes