Mulvaney told reporters last month that the aid was suspended in part to force Ukraine to investigate a conspiracy theory Online Cigarettes Store USA about supposed Ukrainian help for Democrats in the 2016 presidential election, a theory that the president’s onetime homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, had repeatedly told him was “completely debunked.” Hours after Mulvaney’s comment to reporters confirming a direct link between the aid and the president’s personal political interests, the chief of staff tried to take it back, issuing a statement saying that was not what he meant.
House investigators issued a subpoena to Mulvaney late Thursday, but he failed to show up Newport Cigarettes Shop for a House deposition scheduled for the next morning. Hours later, his lawyers went to court.
Mulvaney initially resisted getting outside legal help after some of his allies told him he did not need it. But as House Republicans have indicated that they may focus on Mulvaney’s role in the pressure campaign on Ukraine, possibly blaming him rather than the president, it has become clear that the chief of staff’s own interests may be in conflict with the White House on this issue.
That left Mulvaney in the awkward position of not wanting to openly defy the White House counsel Cheap Newport 100s cigarettes but also not wanting to imperil himself with a possible contempt citation for ignoring a subpoena. So far, a dozen current administration officials have testified despite the White House edict, while about 10 have refused to talk or provide documents.