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Energy Department agrees to release some Ukraine-related records

Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Department of Energy has agreed to comply with a request from watchdog American Oversight to begin producing records related to former Secretary Rick Perry’s communications with key figures in the Trump-Ukraine investigation, according to a joint status update filed Monday.

Why it matters: The agency will release its first batch of records on Jan. 28, which could coincide with the Senate impeachment trial.

  • Further document productions are scheduled for Feb. 4 and March 16.

The big picture: American Oversight filed a FOIA lawsuit in October seeking records from Perry, Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette and other officials possibly involved in the administration’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump's political opponents.

  • Perry led a delegation to attend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's inauguration in May 2019 and met with Ukrainian officials three other times.
  • Axios also reported in October that Trump told House Republicans that he made his now infamous phone call to Zelensky at the urging of Perry.

Go deeper: Pelosi says she doesn't regret decision to hold articles of impeachment

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Health: Communities of color are falling behind in America's vaccine effort.
  2. Politics: Hundreds of Biden staffers receive COVID vaccine — Axios-Ipsos poll: Trust in federal COVID-19 response surges.
  3. Business: Bankruptcy filings hit decade-high last year.
  4. World: U.K. surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths — 44% of Israelis have already received at least one vaccine dose.
  5. Sports: Pandemic has cost the NCAA $600 million — CDC looks at lessons learned from NFL's testing and contact tracing.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Dave Lawler, author of World
1 hour ago - World

Biden holds first phone call with Putin, raises Navalny arrest

Putin takes a call in 2017. Photo: Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty

President Biden on Tuesday held his first call since taking office with Vladimir Putin, pressing the Russian president on the arrest of opposition leader Alexey Navalny and the Russia-linked hack on U.S. government agencies.

The state of play: Biden also raised arms control, bounties allegedly placed on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine, according to a White House readout. The statement said Biden and Putin agreed maintain "consistent communication," and that Biden stressed the U.S. would "act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Russell Contreras
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden signs racial equity executive orders

Joe Biden prays at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on September 3, 2020, in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake. PHOTO: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed executive orders on housing and ending the Justice Department's use of private prisons as part of what the White House is calling his “racial equity agenda.”

The big picture: Biden needs the support of Congress to push through police reform or new voting rights legislation. The executive orders serve as his down payment to immediately address systemic racism while he focuses on the pandemic.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow