Rick Perry Subpoenaed In House's Trump Impeachment Probe

The energy secretary is the latest person in President Donald Trump's orbit to face demands for documents.
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The chairmen of three House committees announced Thursday that they’ve subpoenaed Energy Secretary Rick Perry as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

The subpoena demands Perry turn over several documents concerning the Trump administration’s communications with Ukraine and Trump pressuring the foreign power to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the president’s political rivals.

“Recently, public reports have raised questions about any role you may have played in conveying or reinforcing the President’s stark message to the Ukrainian President,” the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform committees wrote.

“These reports have also raised significant questions about your efforts to press Ukrainian officials to change the management structure at a Ukrainian state-owned energy company to benefit individuals involved with Rudy Giuliani’s push to get Ukrainian officials to interfere in our 2020 election,” the letter to Perry said.

Perry must comply by Oct. 18.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a news conference after the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Oct. 7.
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a news conference after the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Oct. 7.
Ints Kalnins / Reuters

The former Texas governor became publicly entangled in Trump’s Ukraine scandal last week after sources familiar with the situation spoke to Axios. They said that during a conference call with House Republicans on Friday, Trump said Perry arranged his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Not a lot of people know this but, I didn’t even want to make the call,” Trump reportedly said, according to three sources. “The only reason I made the call was because Rick asked me to. Something about an LNG [liquefied natural gas] plant.”

Department of Energy spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said the subpoena is “currently under review by DOE’s Office of General Counsel.”

The White House did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.

Perry’s subpoena is the latest the committees have issued as part of their impeachment inquiry. Others include those sent to the White House, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Vice President Mike Pence, the Pentagon and the budget office.

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