A top Pentagon official opted to retain her own lawyer rather than rely on Department of Defense counsel for her closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee weighing an impeachment case against President Trump.
Laura Cooper, deputy assistant defense secretary for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday regarding reports that Mr. Trump conditioned military support for Ukraine on a promise by Kyiv to investigate the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Her testimony took place in the top-secret SCIF — the “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” inside the Capitol, but only after a lengthy delay caused when House Republicans flooded the room to protest a process they said was unfair to the president.
A Pentagon official declined to say whether the Department Department would comply with any future subpoenas from Congress.
“We’re really in uncharted territory here. This is really unprecedented for us,” the official said.
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