committee held an open hearing with the acting director of national intelligence. the following day chairman engel issued a subpoena to the state department in close consultation with myself and chairman cummings. we are deeply concerned about secretary pompeo's effort now to potentially interfere with witnesses whose testimony is needed before our committee, many of whom are mentioned in the whistleblower complaint and we want to make it abundantly clear that any effort by the secretary, by the president or anyone else to interfere with the congress' ability to call before it relevant witnesses will be considered as evidence of obstruction of the lawful functions of congress. and more than that, we'll allow an ad verse inference to be drawn as to the underlying facts. >> that if they are going to prevent witnesses from coming forward to testify on the allegations and the