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Senior White House Official Testifies Privately in Trump Impeachment Probe

Wayne Lee

   WASHINGTON - A senior White House budget official arrived on Capitol
   Hill Saturday to testify behind closed doors before congressional
   investigators who are conducting an impeachment inquiry against U.S.
   President Donald Trump.

   Mark Sandy, a longtime career official with the Office of Management
   and Budget, is the first agency employee to be deposed in the inquiry
   after three employees appointed by Trump defied congressional subpoenas
   to testify. It remains unclear if a subpoena had been issued to Sandy.

   Sandy could provide valuable information about the U.S. delay of nearly
   $400 million in aid to Ukraine last summer, allegedly in exchange for
   the newly-elected Ukrainian president to launch investigations into
   2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son at Trump's
   request. Investigators are also exploring debunked claims promoted by
   Trump and allies that Ukraine, and not Russia, interfered in the 2016
   U.S. presidential election.

   Sandy was among the career employees who questioned the holdup,
   according to people with knowledge of the matter.

   His signature is on at least one document that prevented the provision
   of the aid to Ukraine, according to copies of documents investigators
   discussed during an earlier deposition. A transcript of the discussion
   has been publicly disclosed.

   Sandy appears before the House foreign affairs, intelligence, and
   oversight and reform committees.

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