Scoop: EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland to testify next week

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland will testify next Wednesday before the House committees investigating President Trump and Ukraine, despite being blocked by the State Department from appearing at a closed-door deposition this week, 4 congressional sources tell Axios.
Driving the news: Sondland’s lawyer confirmed Friday that the ambassador does plan to testify — “notwithstanding the State Department’s current direction not to testify.”

• • He also said while Sondland wants to produce documents requested by the committees, that decision is ultimately up to the State Department.

Why it matters: One source familiar with the rescheduling tells Axios that after the State Department pulled the plug on Sondland’s testimony, Republicans close to Trump encouraged the president to let the ambassador come before the committees. Trump’s allies believe Sondland’s testimony will be helpful to their side.

View the October 10 post by Alayna Treene on the Axios website here.