The Story
Week two of the public impeachment inquiry hearings is getting feisty.
More hearings, huh?
Yep. Remember, House Democrats launched this inquiry to figure out if President Trump abused his power, in part by seemingly pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate former VP Joe Biden and his son for corruption in a July phone call. Yesterday, four officials kicked off a big week of public hearings in front of the House Intelligence Committee.
Gimme the highlights.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman...the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. He said he couldn't believe what he heard on the call. And that he reported it to an attorney out of duty. And he refused to answer questions that may involve identifying the whistleblower. And didn't appreciate Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) not calling him by his military title.
Jennifer Williams...an adviser to VP Mike Pence. She called the July call "unusual." And refused to answer questions about a September call between Pence and Ukraine's president because her counsel said it's classified. She also said the US withholding military aid to Ukraine could have given Russia the upper hand.
Kurt Volker...the former special envoy to Ukraine. He said he didn't know of any link between the US withholding military aid to Ukraine and the investigations Trump wanted. He also characterized these investigations as "conspiracy theories" and called Biden an honorable guy. He said the allegations against Biden are "self-serving and non-credible." It's worth noting: this was a witness requested by Republicans.
Tim Morrison...the former National Security Council official. He testified that he grew uneasy over the withholding of military aid to Ukraine. And discussed his concerns with then-national security adviser John Bolton. He, too, was a witness requested by Republicans.
That's a lot. What's happening today?
The impeachment inquiry continues with the US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland. He's become a major player in all this. He's the one who revised his closed-door testimony and said aid was linked to the investigations Trump wanted. And was named-dropped last week as having been on another call with Trump about all this. His testimony kicks off at 9am ET, followed by two others.
theSkimm
The witnesses in these hearings are a combination of White House aides, experts, and diplomats. Many are sharing a similar story that they were uncomfortable with the president's apparent request for an investigation into his political rival. Dems are hoping that by putting this narrative in front of the public, it makes a clear case for impeachment. Republicans are nowhere near convinced.
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