Trump defends blocking witness before 'kangaroo court'

President Trump on Tuesday defended his administration’s decision to block a key State Department witness from testifying before Congress as part of the House impeachment inquiry, claiming European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland would have been testifying before a “kangaroo court.”

“I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public to see,” Trump wrote in a series of tweets Tuesday morning.

Trump tweeted shortly after news broke that the State Department had instructed Sondland not to appear before three House committees for closed-door testimony on Tuesday.

Democrats have sought testimony from Sondland because of his involvement in efforts within the Trump administration to get Ukraine to investigate matters related to 2016 election interference and a Ukrainian gas company that former Vice President Joe Biden’s son worked for.