Mike Pompeo becomes first Trump Administration member to defy Ukraine subpoenas

The stage has been set in Washington DC this week as House Democrats eye a showdown between themselves and the White House.

House Speaker Pelosi has now called for a “formal impeachment inquiry” into the Trump administrations relationship with Ukraine, and specifically how that relates to a whistleblower complaint alleging wrongdoing by President Donald Trump on a July 25the phone call between himself and Volodymyr Zelensky, President of the tiny European nation.

Given that this inquiry is filled to the brim with State Department connections, it should come as no surprise that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was one of the first Trump administration officials to receive a subpoena from the investigation.

It should also come as no surprise that he was the first to defy the requests, knowing what we know about his loyalty to the President.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to comply with a Friday deadline to turn over Ukraine-related documents to House Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, according to an official on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The State Department’s delay in producing reams of documents related to the agency’s dealings with Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, and Ukrainian leaders comes amid an increasingly high-stakes standoff between the executive branch and Congress. Democrats are investigating allegations that Trump used the power of his office to press a foreign government for damaging information about a top political rival.

“Secretary Pompeo has failed to meet the deadline to produce documents required by the subpoena. However, the State Department has contacted the Committees on this matter and we hope the Department will cooperate in full promptly,” said the committee official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

President Trump has indicated that no cooperation will come from the White House until Nancy Pelosi calls a vote in the House to officially recognize this impeachment attempt.