Tipsheet: White House keeps Democrats from critical witnesses

View in your browser     White House keeps Democrats from critical witnesses BY MORGAN CHALFANT Witnesses pointed their fingers at a number of figures close to President Trump who could help untangle the web around the administration’s dealings with Ukraine during the public impeachment hearings. But Democrats won’t be hearing from them. The White House has prevented the president’s chief of staff, his former national security adviser, budget officials and his outgoing energy secretary from testifying before Congress. Read the full story here     Democrats set to open new chapter in impeachment BY CRISTINA MARCOS AND MIKE LILLIS After a two-week barrage of public hearings, Democrats are eyeing the next stage of their impeachment inquiry as they edge closer to an end-of-year goal for wrapping up their investigation into President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Read the full story here     Impeachment trial throws curveball into 2020 race BY JORDAIN CARNEY The Senate impeachment trial is threatening to ground several White House hopefuls during a crucial stretch of the 2020 primary race. With a Senate trial likely to start as early as January, it would put a proceeding in the immediate run-up -- and potentially in the middle of -- the early voting states. Read the full story here     Trump repeats debunked Ukraine claim despite testimony BY BRETT SAMUELS President Trump on Friday repeated his debunked claim that Ukraine is connected to a hacked Democratic server from the 2016 election, the same assertion that he raised on his call with the Ukrainian president at the heart of an impeachment inquiry. Read the full story here       Bolton tells followers to 'stay tuned' after Twitter hiatus BY RACHEL FRAZIN President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton posted a cryptic message to Twitter on Friday after a two-month absence on the social media platform, telling followers to "stay tuned" for "the backstory." Read the full story here     DOJ watchdog expected to say FBI erred, but absolve top leaders of anti-Trump bias BY OLIVIA BEAVERS   A Justice Department watchdog is expected to strongly criticize FBI officials for being careless in their pursuit of obtaining wiretaps on a former Trump campaign aide during the start of the Russia probe, but not find they were acting with a bias toward President Trump, The New York Times reported Friday. Read the full story here     Bloomberg readies $31.5M ad campaign as he mulls 2020 run BY TAL AXELROD Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg purchased a multi-million ad blitz in several states as he prepares to enter the crowded 2020 Democratic primary field. Read the full story here     Democrats court black voters in tight primary race BY JONATHAN EASLEY The top Democratic White House hopefuls are in a high-stakes race to win the support of black voters, who will play a key role in determining the nominee once the contest moves past the predominantly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Read the full story here     Trump says drug importation plan coming 'soon' BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL President Trump on Friday said he will “soon” be releasing a plan to allow the U.S. to import prescription drugs from abroad. A final rule that would allow states to import certain drugs from Canada has been under regulatory review at the White House Office of Management and Budget since Nov. 1. Read the full story here     Trump hints at softening of vaping flavor ban BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL President Trump on Friday signaled he is walking back a long-delayed proposal to remove all flavored e-cigarettes from the market, amid concerns over job losses and the dangers of counterfeit products. Read the full story here     Why the debates no longer matter BY MICHAEL STARR HOPKINS Opinion | What has become clear in the Democratic primary is that the debates are not moving the needle. They are a political commodity with little ability to excite voters. What the debates have proven is that they do damage and do not provide a sustainable boost for candidates. Read the full story here     How impeachment would affect small business BY HECTOR BARRETO Opinion | The political consequences of the impeachment inquiry have been – and will be – analyzed to the point of exhaustion. The economic consequences must also be considered in any fair analysis of impeachment’s real-world impact. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Trump tries to woo GOP lawmakers with Camp David weekend getaways, sporting events BY SEUNG MIN KIM, RACHAEL BADE AND JOSH DAWSEY President Trump, partial to gold and marble elegance, never took a shine to rustic Camp David. So acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney pitched to him an unusual idea at the start of the House impeachment inquiry: Use the secluded mountainous presidential retreat to woo House Republicans. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Charges of Ukrainian meddling? A Russian operation, US intelligence says BY JULIAN E. BARNES AND MATTHEW ROSENBERG In a briefing that closely aligned with Dr. Fiona Hill’s testimony, American intelligence officials informed senators and their aides in recent weeks that Russia had engaged in a yearslong campaign to essentially frame Ukraine as responsible for Moscow’s own hacking of the 2016 election, according to three American officials. The briefing came as Republicans stepped up their defenses of Mr. Trump in the Ukraine affair. Read the full story here     Reuters: Republican senators ask Treasury for any reports on Hunter Biden BY RICHARD COWAN AND VALERIE VOLCOVICI The Republican chairmen of two U.S. Senate committees have asked the Treasury Department, in a letter, for possible reports of money laundering or fraud on the business dealings of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son with a Ukraine energy firm. Read the full story here     Bloomberg: Trump joked about firing Azar after White House vaping meetings BY GERALD PORTER JR. AND JOSH WINGROVE After a fraught White House meeting on Friday about vaping and teen tobacco addiction, Donald Trump broke tensions by joking that he should fire his health secretary. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Trump denigrates US diplomats, pushes conspiracy theories BY DEB RIECHMANN Offering his own take on five long days of public hearings, President Donald Trump brushed off the impeachment inquiry as “total nonsense” on Friday and bad-mouthed a number of the U.S. diplomats who testified to Congress about his Ukraine pressure campaign. Read the full story here   Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.