Today three of the witnesses testified in public impeachment hearings took place on Capitol Hill.
And the first two witnesses did not hold back when it came to how they felt about that infamous phone call between President Trump and Ukraine’s president on July 25.
Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy aide to Vice President Mike Pence and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council top Ukraine expert, had a first-hand account of the phone call.
They were both listening in.
Vindman said he felt “it was improper to demand an investigation into a political opponent, especially from a foreign power.”
Vindman told lawmakers in his closed door testimony that he reported concerns about the call within hours, and was later told not to discuss it with anyone.
Williams also said she found the call “unusual” because it “involved discussion of what appeared to be a domestic political matter.”
Republicans countered by aruging again that after six weeks of open and closed testimonies, no witness to date has ever said Trump committed a crime.
Also on Tuesday former National Security Council aide Tim Morrison and former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified.
Morrison and Volker were requested by Republicans to testify.
Morrison also listened to the July 25 phone call.
He said he feared how disclosure of the July 25 call would play out in Washington’s climate and begged the U.S. not to forget the Ukraine conflict.
Volker said he was not aware of or knowingly took part in an effort to urge Ukraine to investigate Biden.
He also testified that Trump had a “deeply rooted negative view” of Ukraine but given Ukraine’s history of corruption that was “understandable.”
Inconsistencies also emerged between Volker’s private testimony and opening statement.
In his opening statement Volker testified he heard a fellow U.S. diplomat raise investigations during a July 10 meeting at the White House.
However when he testified behind closed doors he answered “no” when questioned whether investigations were raised during that meeting, which included Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to European Union, and other American and Ukrainian officials.
Before the opening remarks GOP representative Devin Nunes called today’s hearing a “circus” and said that Democrats are looking to accuse president of any crime.
On Wednesday Gordon Sondland is scheduled to testify.
As well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper and high-ranking State Department official David Hale.
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