The Latest: Pelosi urges Dems to highlight responsibility

Associated Press
Updated

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the House impeachment inquiry (all times local):

7:25 p.m.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is urging Democrats to proceed "not with negative attitudes" toward President Donald Trump but with "a positive attitude" toward their responsibility.

That's according to an aide on a conference call Sunday who requested anonymity to share the private conversation of Democrats.

Pelosi also urged the Democratic caucus to be "somber" as they undertake impeachment proceedings against the president.

In the call, Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York urged the caucus to talk about impeachment by repeating the words "betrayal, abuse of power, national security."

At the same time, Democrats' campaign arm began mobilizing to support the candidates ahead of potential backlash over impeachment proceedings.

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7:15 p.m.

Advisers to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden are urging major news networks to stop booking Rudy Giuliani on their shows, accusing President Donald Trump's personal attorney of spreading "false, debunked conspiracy theories" on behalf of the president.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter.

The request comes as Giuliani leads the criticism of the whistleblower who brought attention to Trump's phone call with Ukraine's president that sparked impeachment proceedings.

Biden advisers Anita Dunn and Kate Bedingfield sent their letter Sunday to management and anchors of news shows at ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News. They claimed that by giving Giuliani TV time, they are allowing him to introduce what they called "increasingly unhinged, unfounded and desperate lies into the national conversation."

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1:25 p.m.

The lead House investigator is predicting the whistleblower who sparked impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump will testify "very soon."

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on multiple Sunday shows that the panel and the whistleblower's lawyers are still working out their clearances and how to keep the person's identity secret.

The person's testimony is at the heart of a formal inquiry into whether Trump abused his office when he asked Ukraine's president to investigate Democrat Joe Biden's family. The White House released a rough transcript of the July 25th call and made public the whistleblower's complaint. Trump has said he did nothing wrong, but the material sparked new calls for his impeachment and a process that could generate a vote by Thanksgiving.

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11 a.m.

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer says he'd only cooperate with the House impeachment inquiry if his client agreed.

Central to the investigation is the effort by lawyer Rudy Giuliani (joo-lee-AH'-nee) to have Ukraine conduct a corruption probe into Joe Biden and his son's dealings with a Ukrainian energy company. Trump echoed that request in a July call with Ukraine's president.

The House Intelligence Committee is leading the inquiry, and Giuliani thinks the chairman, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, "has already prejudged" whether Trump linked U.S. aid to Ukraine in exchange for the probe. Giuliani tells ABC's "This Week" that "I wouldn't cooperate" with Schiff, but if Trump "decides that he wants me to testify, of course I'll testify."

Schiff says he hasn't decided whether he wants to hear from Giuliani.