Rudy finds himself at center of House impeachment inquiry

Republicans and Democrats familiar with the closed-door testimony in the House impeachment inquiry tell Axios that Rudy Giuliani and his Ukraine activity has been a unifying thread for the witnesses.

The other side: White House sources say that they're increasingly pulling their hair out because of him.

Our big takeaway: While Democrats say that everything they’ve heard so far has only helped them, nothing in the depositions so far appears to have moved any Republicans closer to impeachment.

• What to watch: How much longer can the committees sustain this pace? Fatigue is appearing on both sides.

Pelosi quote du jour: "We were sending that military assistance because of Ukraine needing that vis-à-vis Russia. All roads seem to lead to Putin with the president though, isn’t it so?"

• What we're watching: House Dems began discussing the possibility of summoning acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, per the WashPost.

🇺🇦 "Three amigos": Career State Department official George Kent testified that he was told by administration officials to "lay low" on Ukraine as "three amigos" tied to the White House took over U.S. foreign policy toward the Eastern European ally, AP reports.

• Kent described the results of a May 23 meeting at the White House, organized by Mulvaney, where three administration officials — EU ambassador Gordon Sondland, special envoy Kurt Volker and Energy Secretary Rick Perry — declared themselves the people responsible for Ukraine policy.

Go deeper: The coming appearances in House Democrats' impeachment probe