Page 28 - Watkinson News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Subpoena. if the white house ignores the subpoena, they will include it in an obstruction of justice charge. >> geoff bennett on capitol hill where they had late night marathon talks, deposition i should say, marathon deposition with kurt volker, the former state department official, and clearly the texts that he brought with him were very revealing, and then today michael atkinson also in private now with house intel leaders on both sides, questioning him about the whistle-blower complaint. >> that's right. and atkinson is the intelligence community ig who deemed that whistle-blower complaint...

He was present for some of the closed door briefing today and he joins me now from our studios on the other side of town. congressman, thanks for coming on. first tell me about -- tell me what you can about mr. atkinson's testimony. have you found it to be -- have you found it to be helpful? have you found it to be a honest witness, a man of integrity, what? >> i think michael atkinson is a man of great integrity. he is the but for actor here. but for his reporting this to congress, the efforts of the white house and the justice department to cover it up might have been successful. he's extrem...

>> and the reason why michael atkinson is important here is because he is the one who deemed the whistle-blower complaint to be credible and urgent. and remember, the reason in large part why this came to light is because after the acting dni went to the white house council's office and to the justice department to see if that phone call between president trump and president zelensky was covered by executive privilege, that delayed the transmission of that complaint to congress. that was supposed to happen within seven days. and it was atkinson who then flagged congress and said there was this...

On how he handled the whistle-blower complaint and how he sought to corroborate details within it. and that's important. remember, it is michael atkinson, he is the one who deemed the whistle brother complaint to be urgent and credible. today, just like yesterday, you had members walk in and out of the private room. in some cases they talked to us reporters. mike quigley, a democrat, said this, and he said it off camera, so i am referring to my notes here. he said the inspector general's testimony submits the testimony of how atkinson sought the whistle-blower report. what the i.g. said is he ...

Is scheduled to appear before our committee and on friday, inspector general, the inspector general of the ic, mr. atkinson will appear before the committee and testify as well. the last time that the inspector general testified, we did not have the complaint. we know do. we certainly intend to ask the director about the efforts that were made to corroborate that complaint which we now know the inspector general found both credible and urgent. next week, we have also scheduled a deposition or interview with the former u.s. ambassador ivanovich to ukraine. we are in pursuit of other depositions...