WATCH: Mick Mulvaney waived executive privilege in addressing Ukraine aid, Jeffries says

Trump's first impeachment - 2020

Asked whether acting White House Chief of Staff waived executive privilege when he stated that political influence played a role in President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold aid to Ukraine, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said that Mulvaney waived it in this case, nor had he ever asserted it. Jeffries said this went for the entirety of Trump’s team, which did not assert executive privilege for any of the 17 witnesses that testified during the trials. He said that when the House voted to subpoena Mulvaney, the White House responded with a letter saying he is “absolutely immune” from being compelled to give congressional testimony related to his role advising the president, but didn’t cite a single legal case. Senators had their first chance to ask questions of the House managers and President Donald Trump’s legal team on Wednesday, Jan. 29. That came after both sides were given three days, respectively, to present their case. The House of Representatives impeached Trump in December on two articles--abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The questions come ahead of a vote on whether to bring forward witnesses and documents as part of the Senate trial. The Senate must now decide whether to acquit the president or convict him of the charges and remove him from office.

For more on who’s who in the Trump impeachment inquiry, read

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