U.S. Department of Energy to release documents on Perry's communications with Ukraine
"In a court filing on Monday, the Department of Energy agreed to release multiple categories of Ukraine-related records to American Oversight, including former Secretary Rick Perry's communications with high-level Ukrainian officials, associates of Rudy Giuliani, and outside groups associated with U.S. energy interests in Ukraine," the report reads.
According to the report, in October 2019, American Oversight sued the department for records of the May 2019 delegation to Ukraine led by then-Secretary Perry as well as for documents related to the effort to pressure Ukraine to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden.
All of this is happening as part of an investigation into the content of a July 25 phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Monday's joint status report agrees to prioritize delegation records as well as Perry's and former Chief of Staff Brian McCormack's communications in its first production, scheduled for Jan. 28. Subsequent productions are scheduled for Feb. 4 and March 16," the report reads.
On September 25, the White House released the transcript of a phone call between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents, which triggered the impeachment inquiry into Trump. According to the transcript, Trump pressured Zelensky, urging him to launch an investigation in Ukraine against former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's son.
On December 9, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of President Trump's impeachment. The Senate intends to start an impeachment hearing in January 2020.
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