WASHINGTON: US congressional committees conducting an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump met on Thursday for the first time with an adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, but former national security adviser John Bolton failed to heed a request to appear.

Jennifer Williams, a career foreign service officer and special adviser to Pence for Europe and Russia, was testifying in a closed-door hearing in front of members of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees after receiving a subpoena to compel her testimony.

Bolton, who was fired by Trump in September, was also called to appear on Thursday but did not show, and his attorney said he would not testify voluntarily.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2019