Sally Yates to testify before Senate panel -- even if she doesn’t appear before House committee

Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee about Russian interference in the election.

The Obama appointee was blocked from testifying before the House Intelligence Committee after its chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), canceled this week's hearings, where Yates had been scheduled to appear.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the committee's vice chairman, told CNN that Yates would testify before a Senate panel even if she did not appear before the House committee.

The White House reportedly tried to block Yates from testifying after her attorney notified the Trump administration she would discuss her concerns about former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Nunes abruptly canceled this week's House Intelligence Committee hearings hours after Yates notified the White House through her attorney about her intention to testify about Flynn, who resigned after lying to the vice president about his contact with the Russian ambassador.

Yates was fired for refusing to defend President Donald Trump's travel ban, just days after bringing her concerns about Flynn to White House officials.