OMB official to testify in impeachment probe if subpoenaed after others refused

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/470577-omb-official-to-testify-in-impeachment-probe-if-subpoenaed

Mark Sandy, a career official at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), plans to testify in connection with the House impeachment inquiry on Saturday if he is issued a subpoena.

“If Mr. Sandy is subpoenaed, he will appear for a deposition this Saturday,” Sandy’s attorney Barbara Van Gelder told The Hill on Thursday evening in an email. 

Sandy would be the first OMB official to appear in the inquiry. House committees have also sought testimony from politically appointed OMB officials but none have complied with subpoenas for their appearances. 

The Washington Post was first to report that Sandy would appear if issued a subpoena.

An official working on the impeachment inquiry said Wednesday that Sandy had been scheduled to testify at a closed-door deposition on Saturday. It has been common practice by House Democrats to issue subpoenas for witness testimony, however, as with other witnesses, the issuance of a subpoena is unlikely to become public until the day of Sandy’s testimony. 

As the first OMB official testifying in connection with the inquiry, Sandy could shed light on the decision by the White House to place a temporary hold on $400 million in military aid to Ukraine over the summer.