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A hard day's night: Combing through testimony

Steve Coogan   | Paste BN

Hello, OnPolitics readers — We're knee-deep in week nine of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, and the news is flowing like a hard-charging waterfall after a rain storm.

'My fears have been realized': Looking at a long day of hearings 

It took over nine hours of testimony, but Tuesday's impeachment inquiry hearings finally ended after 8 p.m. EDT. They began with Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an expert on Ukraine, and Jennifer Williams, a National Security Council aide to Vice President Mike Pence. Both were on the now-infamous July 25 phone call where Trump asked Zelensky to probe his political rivals while the Trump administration held up nearly $400 million in military assistance. Later, former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and NSC Senior Director for Russia and Europe Tim Morrison also appeared before the panel.

Here are a few takeaways and key moments from the day's proceedings: 

  • Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff asked why Volker changed his testimony about a July 10 meeting between White House and Ukrainian officials. Volker said his memory was "jogged" by other witnesses' testimony, causing him to amend his and say Sondland brought up investigations, a reference Volker found "inappropriate."
  • Morrison told lawmakers that his "fears have been realized" about the disclosure of Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky. Morrison also testified that nothing bothered him about the July 25 conversation between Trump and Zelensky. But that prompted a tweet from Intelligence Committee member Jackie Speier, D-Calif., wondering why Morrison would be worried if he didn't think the call raised red flags.
  • Vindman described how the "power disparity" between the United States and Ukraine made it clear Trump's asking for investigations was tantamount to a command.
  • A Sept. 18 phone call between Pence and Zelensky emerged as a potentially important issue, but the details of the classified call remain under wraps. Schiff pressed Williams about the call but she declined to speak about it in the open hearing at the direction of her attorney.
     

If you weren't able to tune in Tuesday, but you want to read and catch up, we can help with that.

What lies ahead

Looking ahead to Wednesday, Paste BN's Susan Page writes about Sondland taking the stand before the House Intelligence Committee "amid speculation about whether he will reiterate his closed-door testimony, revise it in the face of conflicting testimony from other witnesses, or even plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to talk altogether." 

Sondland has already amended his previous sworn testimony once and news of the July 26 phone call was a bombshell from the first day of the public impeachment hearings last week, relayed by Ambassador Bill Taylor, and confirmed by Holmes.

Sondland will testify during the morning session and Laura Cooper, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs, and David Hale, the undersecretary of State for political affairs, will answer questions later in the day.

In case you missed it

The House Intelligence Committee undertaking the impeachment inquiry released transcripts of the depositions of State Department official David Holmes and Ambassador David Hale Monday night. One key development is Holmes testifying that he "vividly" recalled the July 26 conversation he overheard between Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Trump about Ukraine's investigation. Holmes told lawmakers he overheard Sondland tell Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would do "anything you ask him to" when asked about the investigations he sought. 

Here is some additional news from the world of politics from the last 24 hours:

  • Amid all the impeachment hullabaloo, 10 candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential field will gather in Atlanta on Wednesday for the fifth debate in the cycle. 
  • Trump's order to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria provided the Islamic State an opening to rebuild itself, a new Pentagon report states. Trump's decision prompted bipartisan criticism for removing military pressure on the Islamic State and leaving Kurdish forces that had worked with U.S. troops to roll back gains made by the terrorists.
  • A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows likely Democratic caucusgoers are divided on what they want when it comes to health care. In fact, more than half of Iowa respondents prefer a plan other than "Medicare for All," underscoring conflicts over the best course of action on health care.

Take your seats and fasten your seat belts, OP readers. We're likely going to hit some major turbulence this week. 

— Until tomorrow

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