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The third day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump began with two witnesses in the morning-National Security Council (NSC) official Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Vice President Mike Pence's aide Jennifer Williams-both of whom were listening in on the July 25 call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and were in a position to provide a firsthand account. Both witnesses confirmed what others have alleged: President Trump specifically demanded that President Zelensky investigate Burisma Holdings and the Bidens; there is no factual basis for the allegations against the Bidens; and Trump's request was additionally inappropriate
because it was in the president's personal interests rather than the interests of U.S. national security.
In the afternoon, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee heard from two witnesses—former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and former NSC official Tim Morrison—whose testimonies were requested by the Republican committee members. Far from defending President Trump, Volker testified that the White House's allegations about the Bidens were false and that the call for an investigation was unacceptable. Volker's only excuse for not intervening is that he didn't understand at the time what the president was asking. Morrison testified that he had been disappointed by the July 25 call because President Trump did not state his support for President Zelensky's reform agenda; his testimony contradicts the argument from Trump's supporters that the president was keen to take on corruption. Notably, President Trump's defenders are not saying that he didn't do the things of which he is accused. As their arguments in support of the president have proven thin, they have instead resorted to attacking the witnesses, the process, the whistleblower, and the idea of impeachment itself. Read CAP's full coverage of the November 19 hearing ? | ||||||||
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Mother Jones Impeachment Day 3: Republicans Continue Their Attack on Reason and Reality Vox Kurt Volker, impeachment witness requested by Republicans, debunks many of their arguments The Moscow Project Trump ran the extortion campaign | ||||||||
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Wednesday, November 20 9:00 a.m. testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union 2:30 p.m. testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia David Hale, under secretary of state for political affairs Thursday, November 21 9:00 a.m. testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian affairs for the U.S. National Security Council David Holmes, counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine | ||||||||
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