Trump's E.U. ambassador to testify in impeachment inquiry, defying State Dept.

"Notwithstanding the State Department's current direction to not testify, Ambassador Sondland will honor the Committees' subpoena, and he looks forward to testifying on Thursday," Sondland's attorneys, Robert Luskin and Kwame Manley, said in a statement.

Sondland's joint deposition before the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees is scheduled for Oct. 17. Axios was first to report that Sondland would appear next week.

Sondland's closed-door interview was originally scheduled for earlier this week, but his appearance was blocked by the State Department. In response, the Democratic chairmen of the House committees issued a subpoena for documents and testimony.

Sondland, a Trump political appointee, has emerged as a central player in Trump's bid to persuade Ukraine's new government to commit publicly to investigate corruption and the president's political opponents.