Graham ups attacks against whistleblower before public hearings

Only 3 Senate Republicans aren't defending Trump from the impeachment inquiry. Here's why.

For those Senate Republicans who are refusing to condemn the House-led impeachment inquiry, three may be the loneliest number.

While a resolution denouncing the House Democrats' fast-moving probe hasn't received a vote, GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska declined to sign on as co-sponsors — the only ones out of 53 Republicans — leaving the door ajar to the possibility that they could vote to convict President Donald Trump if impeachment moves to its trial phase in the Senate.

But unlike the blowback Romney and Collins have faced for breaking with the party's defense of the president, Murkowski could end up seeing her part in this micro-rebellion embraced by voters in her state. Experts on Alaska politics told NBC News that the state tends to reward an independent streak in its politicians.

In other words, Murkowski can fall out of line with Trump — but not fall out of favor with Republican voters in her state.

Full story here.

OPINION: From Nixon to Trump, the historical arc of presidential misconduct is deeply troubling

During the Watergate investigation, I contributed to an unprecedented history of presidential misconduct that the impeachment inquiry of the House Committee on the Judiciary requested in 1974.

Now, 45 years later, I’ve edited an expanded version, covering all U.S. presidencies through Barack Obama’s. Looking over that 230-year span, what I’m forced to conclude is deeply troubling: Since the early 1970s, the behavior of American presidents has worsened in alarming ways.

Read more here.

Hallie Jackson: Trump watching closely to see who defends him

President is 'closely watching' Republicans defending him

Nov. 10, 201907:01

Democrats push back on GOP efforts to have whistleblower, Hunter Biden testify

Democrats on Sunday pushed back on Republican requests for testimony from the whistleblower who helped launch the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden.

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, requested the whistleblower, the younger Biden and his business partner Devon Archer testify before House investigators in a letter Saturday to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the committee's chairman. Later Saturday, Schiff poured cold water on that request, saying the impeachment probe would not serve "to carry out the same sham investigations into the Bidens or debunked conspiracies about 2016 U.S. election interference" Trump asked Ukraine to conduct.

More on the partisan debate over whether the whistleblower should testify.

GOP senator: Trump advisers had to 'convince' Trump to release Ukraine aid

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., said Sunday that "most" of President Donald Trump's advisers were trying to figure out "some way" to get him to release a hold on roughly $400 million in Ukrainian military aid, an effort at the center of Democrats' impeachment inquiry.

"I understand that most of President Trump's advisers wanted the military aid released," Johnson, who had personally pushed Trump to release the aid, told CNN's "State of the Union." "And they were trying to figure out some way, shape or form to convince President Trump to approve that release. It's certainly what I was trying to do in my phone call to him on Aug. 31. So I don't have a problem with advisers trying to figure out some way shape or form to convince the boss to do this."

Read more here.

Rand Paul downplays quid pro quo efforts

Paul: Every politician in Washington is 'trying to manipulate Ukraine'

Nov. 10, 201901:32

John Bolton gets a book deal

John Bolton ⁠— the former Trump national security adviser who has emerged as a key figure in the impeachment inquiry ⁠— has inked a book deal with Simon & Schuster, a source with direct knowledge tells NBC News.

Bolton was represented by the Javelin literary agency, whose clients include former FBI director James Comey and the anonymous Trump administration official whose book, "A Warning,” comes out next week.

Trump trashes 'sinister' impeachment effort during Atlanta event

President Donald Trump on Friday called the impeachment inquiry a "deranged, hyper-partisan impeachment witch hunt, a sinister effort to nullify the ballots of 63 million patriotic Americans."

He made the remarks in Atlanta at an event to announce the African American outreach effort by his re-election campaign. 

"Not happening, by the way," he said of the impeachment effort. "It's failing, it's failing fast, it's all a hoax."

On Wednesday, Democrats hold the first in a series of public hearings in their impeachment inquiry; several witnesses plan to testify next week. 

'Absent yourself': What Schiff told Gaetz when he crashed a secure hearing

The House committees leading the impeachment inquiry released transcripts on Friday detailing the moment Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., was spotted in a secure room when a deposition was taking place.

Gaetz was in the room, called a SCIF, during testimony by Fiona Hill, a former top adviser to President Donald Trump on Russia and Europe. In the transcript, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is quoted as saying: "Mr. Gaetz, you're not permitted to be in the room. Please leave." At another point, Schiff tell Gaetz to "absent yourself" from the SCIF.

Read more about the tense exchange.