Top Ukraine expert Alexander Vindman's testimony concludes after 10 hours: Latest updates
Be sure to check in with our live impeachment coverage today as a flurry of news develops as President Donald Trump's top Ukraine expert Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testifies on Capitol Hill ahead of the expected House vote on Thursday.
Vindman testimony concludes, Schiff applauds whistleblower
After 10 hours of testimony, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., applauded Vindman for having “courage” and appearing before lawmakers but declined to answer any questions or detail anything that was learned.
He denounced the GOP attacks that Vindman had a dual loyalty as a Ukrainian-born refugee.
“This Purple Heart recipient deserved better than that scandalous attack,” he said, referring to commentators who suggested Vindman might have an "affinity" for Ukraine.
As for the back and forth over whether Republicans were attempting to publicize the identity of the whistleblower, Schiff said Trump “would love to punish” the anonymous official who lodged the complaint.
“The president's allies would like nothing better than to help the president out this whistleblower,” Schiff said. “Our committee will not be a part of that. We will not stand for that. And I would hope that more of my GOP colleagues throughout the Congress on both sides of the Capitol would express their support for whistleblowers who have the courage to come forward and expose wrongdoing.”
Impeachment procedures resolution text released
Democrats released an eight-page resolution Tuesday outlining the next phase of the impeachment inquiry. It could be voted on as soon as Thursday, and it outlines the public phase of the inquiry.
It makes clear that information gathered by the six committees that have been conducting oversight into Trump would funnel to the House Judiciary Committee – the panel that has traditionally been charged with impeachment.
Both sides will have subpoena power as public impeachment hearings begin.
The resolution could be voted on as soon as Thursday.
Republicans say Schiff cut off a line of questioning about Vindman's contacts
Republican lawmakers pushed back on concerns they were attempting to out the whistleblower’s identity by having it uttered during Tuesday’s testimony.
“We're just trying to get information that we're entitled to get and the witness is supposed to answer our questions,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said.
He and fellow Republicans attacked Schiff for objecting to a line of questions posed by GOP members, including questions about who Vindman had spoken with about his concerns relating to Ukraine, especially about the July 25 Trump-Zelensky call and the July 10 meeting with European Union Ambassador Sondland and Ukrainian officials.
“It seems like Adam Schiff is acting as counsel for the witness, making objections for the witness and then sustaining his own objections,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn.
He said that Republicans were not attempting to out the whistleblower’s identity, though some — including Jordan — say they believe the public should know the official’s identity. Multiple officials who have testified before them have corroborated the initial complaint.
Perry said GOP members were attempting to figure out who Vindman had spoken with to help weigh his testimony and how his opinions on U.S.-Ukraine issues were shaped.
“There are 350 million Americans and we've got one president, and somehow one guy anonymously is able to start the impeachment proceedings on the President of the United States and nobody knows who he is, or where he came up with the information,” Perry added, arguing that the official’s identity is still important.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., wouldn’t go into details about the bickering that happened behind closed doors or whether he believed there was an attempt to make the whistleblowers identity public. He reiterated that he and other Democrats remained focused on protecting the anonymous official.
“I'll just say, the whistleblower pulled the fire alarm. And once the first responders showed up and saw flames and smoke, and the President holding a gasoline can and matches in his hands, there's not really much relevancy left to what the whistleblower said because it's all been corroborated,” Swalwell said.
Democrats say new information learned but declined to elaborate on specifics
Democrats said they learned new information in the deposition but declined to elaborate on specifics.
"I can't really get into it," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. said after telling reporters lawmakers learned new information helpful to the impeachment investigation.
Rep. Liz Cheney defends Vindman
Speaking at a press conference with House Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the third-ranking House Republican, said attacks on Vindman's patriotism were "shameful" and said Republicans "should not be involved" in the attacks.
More:Trump and allies try to undermine impeachment witness Vindman's credibility
"I think that we need to show that we are better than that, as a nation...we're talking about decorated veterans who have served this nation, put their lives on the line and it is shameful to question their patriotism, their love of this nation we should not be involved in that process," Cheney said.
Vindman came to the United States as a three-and-a-half-year-old refugee from Ukraine, and some attacks on his credibility have focused on his Ukrainian heritage. A decorated veteran, he arrived for his deposition dressed in his Army officer uniform.
Appearing on CNN Tuesday morning, former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wisc., said Vindman seemed to have an "affinity" for Ukraine because of his heritage.
"It seems very clear that he is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense. I don't know that he's concerned about American policy," Duffy said.
Pelosi responds to Trump
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Trump's tweets about Vindman's testimony, writing on Twitter, "Everybody has read your words on the call."
Pelosi notes that in the summary of the call released by the White House, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks for military aid to fight back against a Russian invasion, to which Trump replies "I want you to do us a favor though" and asks for investigations into his political opponents.
Vindman arrives on Capitol Hill for testimony
Vindman did not respond to shouted questions from reporters as he entered for his testimony behind closed doors.
He is set to testify that he was "concerned" about Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Viindman's prepared remarks say he listened to the call.
Arriving Tuesday morning, Republicans set up a poster on an easel in front of television cameras and reporters. It read, “78 days since Adam Schiff learned the identity of the whistleblower.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee and an outspoken ally of the president, railed to reporters about Schiff and Democrats, both about the process of impeachment inquiry and the substance of the whistleblower complaint that helped launch the investigation into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
He said he wasn’t concerned with Vindman’s testimony. According to Jordan, it’s just an “opinion” on matters already released to the public, such as Trump’s July 25th call. Jordan argued the hearing would not move the ball forward in the Democrats’ agenda.
“The fundamental facts have never changed,” he said.
Trump goes on attack before Vindman testimony
President Donald Trump on Tuesday again attacked the impeachment inquiry involving his dealings with Ukraine and the allegation he withheld military aid in exchange for an investigation of a political rival, Joe Biden.
"Why are people that I never even heard of testifying about the call," Trump wrote in a tweet. "Just READ THE CALL TRANSCRIPT AND THE IMPEACHMENT HOAX IS OVER! Ukrain said NO PRESSURE."
The president's missive came after the prepared testimony of Vindman made news Monday evening.
"Was he on the same call that I was? Can't be possible!" the president later tweeted of Vindman's planned testimony.
Trump also called the impeachment inquiry, launched Sept. 24 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a "total scam."
Original story:
WASHINGTON – A day after announcing they will vote this week to formalize impeachment inquiry procedures, House Democrats will hear from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an Army officer and the Trump administration's top Ukraine expert who in prepared testimony said he was "concerned" by President Donald Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine," Vindman wrote. A copy of his planned testimony for Tuesday was obtained Monday evening by USA TODAY.
Vindman will be the first White House official to testify who listened in on the call in which Trump urged an investigation of his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
"I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained," Vindman wrote in his testimony. "This would all undermine U.S. national security. Following the call, I again reported my concerns to NSC’s lead counsel."
Vindman:Trump's top Ukraine expert to tell impeachment investigators he reported troubling conduct
Vindman was one of the administration officials chosen for a U.S. delegation, led by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, to attend Zelensky's inauguration ceremony in May. Kurt Volker, Trump's previous special envoy to Ukraine and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, also attended and have both testified in the inquiry. Perry recently resigned his position.
In his testimony, Vindman offered an overview of his role within the Trump administration, as well as details of the two specific events that he found "inappropriate" and led to him reporting the situation to the National Security Council's top lawyer. The first was a meeting with Oleksandr Danylyuk, Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. The second was Trump's phone call with Zelensky.
According to testimony, the meeting with Danylyuk was held in July and attended by a number of officials, including Volker, Perry, Sondland and then-National Security Advisor John Bolton. It was going well until the Ukrainians asked about a potential meeting between Trump and Zelensky, Vindman wrote. Sondland then "started to speak about Ukraine delivering specific investigations in order to secure the meeting with the President."
Bolton cut the meeting short. Vindman wrote that after the meeting, there was a debriefing where he confronted Sondland, saying "his statements were inappropriate, that the request to investigate Biden and his son had nothing to do with national security, and that such investigations were not something the NSC was going to get involved in or push."
Vindman said Ukraine launching such investigations would push partisan politics into helping Ukraine fend off Russia, which would "undermine U.S. national security."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., sent a letter to members Monday outlining the resolution sought to combat a key line of Republican attack: that the impeachment inquiry was illegitimate because there was no House vote on it.
