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| Impeachment Hearing: Live Updates From Taylor and Kent Testimony | Impeachment Hearing: Live Updates From Taylor and Kent Testimony |
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| William B. Taylor Jr., the top United States diplomat in Ukraine, offered dramatic new testimony Wednesday about how President Trump’s preoccupation with investigating former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was affecting his actions toward Ukraine. | |
| Mr. Taylor said that a member of his staff overheard the a telephone conversation in which the president mentioned “the investigations” to Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union. When the aide asked Mr. Sondland following the call what the president thought of Ukraine, the ambassador “responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for.” | |
| He was referring to Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, who Mr. Taylor described as the leader of an “highly irregular” policymaking channel on Ukraine that ran counter to goals of longstanding American policy. The episode was not included in Mr. Taylor’s interview with impeachment investigators last month, because, he said, he was not aware of it at the time. | |
| Much of the rest of Mr. Taylor’s testimony was consistent with what he told the panel previously, an account that included vivid details of how he discovered that Mr. Trump was conditioning “everything” about the United States relationship with Ukraine — including needed military aid and a White House meeting for Ukraine’s president — on the country’s willingness to commit publicly to investigations of his political rivals. His testimony made it clear that the Ukrainians were well aware of the prerequisites at the time. | |
| George P. Kent, a senior State Department official and one of two star witnesses at Wednesday’s impeachment hearing, testified that Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, conducted a smear campaign against the United States ambassador to Ukraine and led an effort to “gin up politically motivated investigations,” according to a copy of his opening statement. | George P. Kent, a senior State Department official and one of two star witnesses at Wednesday’s impeachment hearing, testified that Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, conducted a smear campaign against the United States ambassador to Ukraine and led an effort to “gin up politically motivated investigations,” according to a copy of his opening statement. |
| Mr. Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and the Caucasus, appeared before the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday morning along with William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, for the first public impeachment hearing as Democrats began to build their case that Mr. Trump committed extortion, bribery or coercion by trying to enlist Ukraine to help him in the 2020 elections. | Mr. Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and the Caucasus, appeared before the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday morning along with William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, for the first public impeachment hearing as Democrats began to build their case that Mr. Trump committed extortion, bribery or coercion by trying to enlist Ukraine to help him in the 2020 elections. |
| In his opening statement, Mr. Kent said that he concluded by mid-August that Mr. Giuliani’s efforts to pressure President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to open investigations into Mr. Trump’s rivals “were now infecting U.S. engagement with Ukraine, leveraging President Zelensky’s desire for a White House meeting.” | |
| Mr. Kent also assailed what he called a “campaign to smear” American officials serving in Ukraine, which succeeded with the ouster of Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former United States ambassador to Ukraine. | Mr. Kent also assailed what he called a “campaign to smear” American officials serving in Ukraine, which succeeded with the ouster of Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former United States ambassador to Ukraine. |
| “It was unexpected, and most unfortunate however, to watch some Americans — including those who allied themselves with corrupt Ukrainians in pursuit of private agendas — launch attacks on dedicated public servants advancing U.S. interests in Ukraine,” Mr. Kent said in his opening statement. “In my opinion, those attacks undermined U.S. and Ukrainian national interests and damaged our critical bilateral relationship.” | “It was unexpected, and most unfortunate however, to watch some Americans — including those who allied themselves with corrupt Ukrainians in pursuit of private agendas — launch attacks on dedicated public servants advancing U.S. interests in Ukraine,” Mr. Kent said in his opening statement. “In my opinion, those attacks undermined U.S. and Ukrainian national interests and damaged our critical bilateral relationship.” |
| Representative Adam B. Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, opened the hearing by summarizing the damning facts about President Trump’s conduct that have been laid out privately by witnesses thus far, asking, “If this is not impeachable conduct, what is?” He zeroed in on the public admission by Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, that Mr. Trump tied aid for the Ukrainians to their willingness to announce investigations into his political rivals. | Representative Adam B. Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, opened the hearing by summarizing the damning facts about President Trump’s conduct that have been laid out privately by witnesses thus far, asking, “If this is not impeachable conduct, what is?” He zeroed in on the public admission by Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, that Mr. Trump tied aid for the Ukrainians to their willingness to announce investigations into his political rivals. |
| “I have news for everybody: Get over it,” Mr. Mulvaney said during a White House briefing last month, before later recanting. “There’s going to be political influence in foreign policy. That is going to happen.” | “I have news for everybody: Get over it,” Mr. Mulvaney said during a White House briefing last month, before later recanting. “There’s going to be political influence in foreign policy. That is going to happen.” |
| Mr. Schiff described the statement as breathtaking, and cast the hearings now underway as a referendum on Mr. Mulvaney’s assertion that Americans should accept Mr. Trump’s actions as proper and befitting a president. | Mr. Schiff described the statement as breathtaking, and cast the hearings now underway as a referendum on Mr. Mulvaney’s assertion that Americans should accept Mr. Trump’s actions as proper and befitting a president. |
| “If he sought to condition, coerce, extort or bribe an ally into conducting investigations to aid his re-election campaign, and did so by withholding official acts — a White House meeting or hundreds of millions of dollars of needed military aid — must we simply ‘get over it?’” Mr. Schiff asked. “Is this what Americans should now expect from their president?” | “If he sought to condition, coerce, extort or bribe an ally into conducting investigations to aid his re-election campaign, and did so by withholding official acts — a White House meeting or hundreds of millions of dollars of needed military aid — must we simply ‘get over it?’” Mr. Schiff asked. “Is this what Americans should now expect from their president?” |
| Mr. Schiff said the questions at issue in the hearing on Wednesday are about whether Mr. Trump’s abuses of power are compatible with the office of the presidency. | Mr. Schiff said the questions at issue in the hearing on Wednesday are about whether Mr. Trump’s abuses of power are compatible with the office of the presidency. |
| “The matter is as simple, and as terrible as that,” he said. | “The matter is as simple, and as terrible as that,” he said. |
| The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee accused the witnesses of working against Mr. Trump, casting previous testimony by diplomats and national security officials about the president’s actions toward Ukraine as nothing more than unfounded, second- or thirdhand allegations from members of a “politicized bureaucracy.” | |
| Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California, opened his party’s defense of the president by charging that the allegations were coming from a group of civil servants who “have decided that they, not the president, are really in charge.” | Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California, opened his party’s defense of the president by charging that the allegations were coming from a group of civil servants who “have decided that they, not the president, are really in charge.” |
| Facing the two veteran diplomats at the witness table, Mr. Nunes said they had been convinced, “wittingly or unwittingly,” to be part of a corrupt investigation that he called a “televised theatrical performance, staged by the Democrats.” | Facing the two veteran diplomats at the witness table, Mr. Nunes said they had been convinced, “wittingly or unwittingly,” to be part of a corrupt investigation that he called a “televised theatrical performance, staged by the Democrats.” |
| “The main performance, the Russia hoax, has ended, and you’ve been cast in the low-rent Ukrainian sequel,” Mr. Nunes said. He said diplomats in the State Department had worked to undercut the president, and in the process had “lost the confidence of millions of Americans who believe that their vote should count for something.” | “The main performance, the Russia hoax, has ended, and you’ve been cast in the low-rent Ukrainian sequel,” Mr. Nunes said. He said diplomats in the State Department had worked to undercut the president, and in the process had “lost the confidence of millions of Americans who believe that their vote should count for something.” |
| Democrats opened the first public impeachment hearing in more than two decades on Wednesday, moving into the public’s direct glare a historic clash between President Trump and Democrats that has so far unfolded in private. | |
| Broadcast live on television from a packed room, the first hearing features two veteran diplomats who have told House impeachment investigators that Mr. Trump, his personal lawyer, and a handful of political appointees hijacked United States foreign policy on Ukraine to achieve the president’s political goals. | Broadcast live on television from a packed room, the first hearing features two veteran diplomats who have told House impeachment investigators that Mr. Trump, his personal lawyer, and a handful of political appointees hijacked United States foreign policy on Ukraine to achieve the president’s political goals. |
| William B. Taylor Jr., the top diplomat in Ukraine, and George P. Kent, a senior State Department official, were seated next to each other at the witness table. Both men received subpoenas Wednesday morning to appear at the hearing. | William B. Taylor Jr., the top diplomat in Ukraine, and George P. Kent, a senior State Department official, were seated next to each other at the witness table. Both men received subpoenas Wednesday morning to appear at the hearing. |
| Sign up here for the Impeachment Briefing newsletter, which explains the latest developments every weeknight. | Sign up here for the Impeachment Briefing newsletter, which explains the latest developments every weeknight. |
| The Democratic case against the president is built around four major issues that the president’s critics say prove that Mr. Trump abused his office: | The Democratic case against the president is built around four major issues that the president’s critics say prove that Mr. Trump abused his office: |
| Giuliani and a shadow diplomacy: Current and former diplomats and national security officials have described to investigators how Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, led a shadow foreign policy in Ukraine that circumvented career foreign service officers and established diplomatic channels in an effort to further Mr. Trump’s political agenda. | Giuliani and a shadow diplomacy: Current and former diplomats and national security officials have described to investigators how Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, led a shadow foreign policy in Ukraine that circumvented career foreign service officers and established diplomatic channels in an effort to further Mr. Trump’s political agenda. |
| Mr. Kent told investigators that Mr. Giuliani’s influence over Mr. Trump when it came to Ukraine was “almost unmissable,” and he said Mr. Giuliani led a “highly irregular” channel of policymaking on Ukraine. | Mr. Kent told investigators that Mr. Giuliani’s influence over Mr. Trump when it came to Ukraine was “almost unmissable,” and he said Mr. Giuliani led a “highly irregular” channel of policymaking on Ukraine. |
| The security aid: Congress approved nearly $400 million in security aid to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression. But witnesses have testified that the aid was abruptly frozen at the direction of the acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and the Office of Management and Budget. They have said they were alarmed to learn that the aid would not be restarted unless Ukraine agreed to publicly announce the investigations that Mr. Trump wanted. | The security aid: Congress approved nearly $400 million in security aid to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression. But witnesses have testified that the aid was abruptly frozen at the direction of the acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and the Office of Management and Budget. They have said they were alarmed to learn that the aid would not be restarted unless Ukraine agreed to publicly announce the investigations that Mr. Trump wanted. |
| In gripping closed-door testimony, Mr. Taylor recalled having seen firsthand Ukraine’s need for the security aid when he traveled to the country and witnessed its soldiers facing Russian forces across a damaged bridge. He told lawmakers that he knew at that time that “more Ukrainians would undoubtedly die without the U.S. assistance.” | In gripping closed-door testimony, Mr. Taylor recalled having seen firsthand Ukraine’s need for the security aid when he traveled to the country and witnessed its soldiers facing Russian forces across a damaged bridge. He told lawmakers that he knew at that time that “more Ukrainians would undoubtedly die without the U.S. assistance.” |
| The July 25 call: At the heart of the Democratic case is the reconstructed transcript released by the White House of the July phone call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. In the call, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelensky, who was newly elected, to “do us a favor” and investigate the former vice president, as well as a conspiracy theory that asserts that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election to help Democrats, not Mr. Trump. | The July 25 call: At the heart of the Democratic case is the reconstructed transcript released by the White House of the July phone call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. In the call, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelensky, who was newly elected, to “do us a favor” and investigate the former vice president, as well as a conspiracy theory that asserts that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election to help Democrats, not Mr. Trump. |
| The call is used by both sides to bolster their arguments. Democrats say it is direct evidence of Mr. Trump’s culpability in the pressure campaign. Republicans note that there is no direct mention during the call of the security aid and argue it falls far short of providing proof that Mr. Trump was involved in abusing his office. Mr. Trump has insisted repeatedly that the call was “perfect” and exonerates him. | The call is used by both sides to bolster their arguments. Democrats say it is direct evidence of Mr. Trump’s culpability in the pressure campaign. Republicans note that there is no direct mention during the call of the security aid and argue it falls far short of providing proof that Mr. Trump was involved in abusing his office. Mr. Trump has insisted repeatedly that the call was “perfect” and exonerates him. |
| The ouster of Marie L. Yovanovitch: Among the most personal moments during Wednesday’s hearing is likely to be discussion of the ouster of Ms. Yovanovitch from her post as ambassador to Ukraine. Several witnesses have testified about a smear campaign led by Mr. Giuliani to damage Ms. Yovanovitch’s reputation and oust her. | The ouster of Marie L. Yovanovitch: Among the most personal moments during Wednesday’s hearing is likely to be discussion of the ouster of Ms. Yovanovitch from her post as ambassador to Ukraine. Several witnesses have testified about a smear campaign led by Mr. Giuliani to damage Ms. Yovanovitch’s reputation and oust her. |
| Philip T. Reeker, the acting assistant secretary in charge of European and Eurasian Affairs, told investigators that the effort to cast Ms. Yovanovitch as a “liberal outpost” was a “fake narrative” that “really is without merit or validation.” | Philip T. Reeker, the acting assistant secretary in charge of European and Eurasian Affairs, told investigators that the effort to cast Ms. Yovanovitch as a “liberal outpost” was a “fake narrative” that “really is without merit or validation.” |
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