Michael Cohen sentenced to 3 years in prison

• Trump and other Republicans have dismissed Cohen's claims that Trump directed him to pay hush money to women with whom Trump had extramarital affairs, while Democrats have said Cohen's allegations may open the president up to impeachment — or possibly even indictment when he leaves office.

Cohen tearfully addressed the accusations in a courtroom statement just prior to his sentencing, saying, "I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to, the personal ones to me and those involving the president of the United States of America."

• "Recently, the president tweeted a statement calling me weak — and it was correct but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds."

The disconnect between the Southern District of New York and Mueller's team was evident during the statements from lawyers from both teams. Jeannie S. Rhee, who works for Mueller, said Cohen provided "credible" information regarding "any links between a campaign and a foreign government."

• Meanwhile, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos, part of the New York prosecutorial team, said that Cohen's "charges portray a pattern of deception, of brazenness and of greed." He added that they harmed "free and transparent elections, and in committing these crimes, Cohen has eroded faith in the electoral process."

Go deeper: What we now know about Trump and Russia

• "After nearly a month of stonewalling, it appears clear that the President has chosen the path of defiance, obstruction, and cover-up," the letter reads.

The state of play: Several White House officials have told Axios' Alayna Treene that the administration has no plans of complying with the committees' demands for interviews or documents without a full House vote formally approving an impeachment inquiry.

The big picture: The Trump administration's initial refusal to turn over the whistleblower complaint on the president's interactions with Ukraine is what led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to finally support a formal impeachment inquiry.

Go deeper: Trump letter dares Pelosi to hold vote on impeachment inquiry

• Johnson asked the Justice Department earlier this week to look into links between Ukraine and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. His letter questioned the narrative that Biden's actions in Ukraine had nothing to do with his son's connection.
• However, it was also discovered that he signed onto a 2016 letter that mirrored Biden's work to reform Ukraine's prosecutor general and judiciary.
• There is no evidence that Biden's reform work in Ukraine was to protect his son's business dealings, as the president and some of his allies allege, or that he committed any form of corruption.

The state of play: Sondland, a Trump political appointee who donated $1 million to the president's inaugural committee, denied that there was a quid pro quo between the Trump administration and Ukraine's government in a series of text messages that former Ukraine special envoy Kurt Volker provided to a group of House committees investigating the Trump-Ukraine matter.

• "I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, texted Sondland.
• Sondland texted back: "Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's of any kind."
• The New York Times reported that Sondland's response came only after he spoke to the president.

Go deeper: House committees release texts from former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker