The public records release Tuesday evening -- initially given to transparency group American Oversight as a part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit and then released publicly by the group -- marks the first set of documents the Department of Energy has made public that could flesh out impeachment allegations against President Donald Trump, as well as possibly offer a window into one of the highest ranking administration officials involved in the Ukraine quid pro quo aside from Trump himself.
Perry was in touch with former national security adviser John Bolton, making this document release especially noteworthy given the discussions about Bolton's possible testimony in the Senate impeachment trial. CNN is reviewing the released documents, which total more than 100 pages.
The set of documents includes Perry's briefing book in advance of his May trip, with State Department officials, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a trip that played a sizable role in Trump's pressure campaign to dangle a meeting with Zelensky in exchange for political help.
The Department of Energy stonewalled attempts from House impeachment investigators to gain documents from Perry, saying the request for documents lacked "any pretense of fairness." The White House also blocked his former chief of staff Brian McCormack from testifying. Those refusals became part of the House's obstruction of Congress charge against the President.
Perry left the Energy Department in early December. He announced he planned to leave shortly after news broke of a whistleblower's complaint about the Ukraine quid pro quo.
Impeachment witnesses have described Perry as one of the main players in soliciting political help from Ukraine on Trump's behalf.
He was involved in the main discussions where Trump or those working on Trump's behalf talked about requesting political help from Zelensky prior to the Presidents' July 25 call. He's one of the so-called "Three Amigos," alongside then-ambassador Kurt Volker and American Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who coordinated Trump's efforts with Ukraine.
He allegedly was in communication with Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani early about Trump's political wishes in Ukraine, and he pushed his own ties to the energy industry with Zelensky. He was also in touch with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others the House unsuccessfully sought details from during the impeachment inquiry, according to some of the witnesses and the House's findings.
Sondland testified in his opening statement to the House (and other witnesses backed up with their own testimony): "Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker and I worked with Mr. Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine matters at the express direction of the President of the United States."
Sondland was one of the most damaging witnesses for Trump, spelling out the quid pro quo Trump sought with Ukraine.
While the administration has stonewalled the House from getting documents like these, transparency groups and news organizations gradually have pried emails and other administration communications related to Ukraine from agencies through public records lawsuits. The release on Tuesday went to the group American Oversight, after the Department of Energy agreed to produce documents the group sought under the Freedom of Information Act. It's the first of three scheduled releases from the Energy Department as part of the lawsuit.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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