Donald Trump slams public impeachment hearing as evidence begins
Donald Trump was overheard asking a key envoy about “investigations” into Democratic rivals a day after his “perfect call” to the Ukraine president, an impeachment hearing has been told.
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Millions of Americans tuned into the country’s first public impeachment hearings into a president since 1998, only the fourth in US history.
Democrats are trying to prove Mr Trump used his position for personal political gain, by seeking a “quid pro quo” from the newly installed Ukraine president to investigate his political rivals in return for US military aid.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, who is effectively leading Democrat impeachment efforts, said that the hearings would impact not only the “future of this presidency, but the future of the presidency itself”.
Republican Devin Nunes slammed the inquiry as a politically motivated “public show trial” that had begun only after the collapse of the “Russian hoax”.
Mr Nunes said the hearing was another Democrat effort to overthrow the result of the 2016 election and dismissed the evidence of two career diplomat witnesses who were called, acting Ukraine Ambassador Bill Taylor and George Kent, a deputy assistant of state.
“The main performance, the Russian hoax, has ended and you’ve been cast in the low rent Ukrainian sequel,” he told them. “This spectacle is doing great damage to our country. It is nothing more than an impeachment process in search of a crime.”
Central to the impeachment hearing is whether Mr Trump committed “high crimes and misdemeanours” in requesting his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenksy investigate the activities of Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President and leading 2020 presidential contender Joe Biden.
Mr Trump does not deny the interaction and has release an edited transcript of a July 25 conversation with Mr Zelensky which he has repeatedly said was a “perfect call” and showed his innocence.
But Mr Taylor said in questioning today that one of his aides had overheard a further conversation, on July 26, between Mr Trump and a key envoy in which the President pressed the ambassador to get Ukraine on board with “the investigations” into Mr Biden.
Mr Taylor testified that the aide asked the US Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, what Mr Trump thought of Ukraine.
“Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which (Trump personal lawyer Rudy) Giuliani was pressing for,” Mr Taylor said.
The impeachment hearing was heavily stacked in favour of Democrats, who retain the power of which witnesses to call and the order of questioning.
They have not confirmed yet whether a list of witnesses sought by Republicans, including Hunter Biden - who was on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma at the time his father was VP and in direct negotiations with the country - as well as the “whistleblower” whose complaint sparked the process, will be allowed to testify.
“They are trying to impeach the president for inquiring about Hunter Biden’s activities,” Mr Nunes said.
“Yet they refuse our requests to hear from Biden himself.”
Mr Trump has repeatedly decried the inquiry as a “baseless witch hunt trial”.
“Read the transcript,” Mr Trump tweeted as the hearings began.
Mr Trump sought to undermine Mr Kent and Mr Taylor with the tweet suggesting they are among members of the foreign policy establishment that never supported him.
Mr Taylor and Mr Kent worked for Republican and Democratic administrations.
NEVER TRUMPERS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
READ THE TRANSCRIPT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
There’s no evidence they engaged in partisan activity opposing Mr Trump.
Mr Trump’s campaign has been using the potential impeachment as a powerful fundraiser, and supporters were peppered with emails requesting donations as the morning unfolded.
Only two other presidents have been impeached, but neither was found guilty in the ensuing Senate trial, which requires a two-thirds verdict.
The majority Republican Senate is considered unlikely on current evidence to swing against President Trump, but the impeachment inquiry is playing out against a heady political backdrop of the early 2020 race.
The hearings will continue on Friday with another three days set for next week.
BILL TAYLOR TESTIMONY
Mr Taylor said that he noticed there were two policy channels operating with Ukraine, a “regular” and an “irregular” one.
He said the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was guiding requests through the irregular channel.
Mr Taylor said it slowly became clear to him that conditions were placed on Ukraine’s new president.
He had to order investigations into possible Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US election, and also look into Joe Biden’s son Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
Mr Taylor said his staff was told the President’s interest in Ukraine was the “investigations of Biden.”
He testified that an aide asked the US Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, what Mr Trump thought of Ukraine.
“Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which (Trump personal attorney Rudy) Giuliani was pressing for,” Mr Taylor said.
Under questioning from Daniel Goldman, the lawyer for the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, Mr Taylor explained that Mr Trump felt “wronged” by the Ukrainians and felt he “owed” him to open investigations into Mr Biden and the 2016 election.
“He had feeling of having been wronged by the Ukrainians, this was something he felt they owed him to fix,” Mr Taylor said, when asked if Mr Trump felt the Ukrainians owed him something personally.
GEORGE KENT TESTIMONY
Mr Kent, a top State Department official, says he never saw any effort by US officials to shield from scrutiny a Ukrainian natural gas company where Hunter Biden sat on the board.
Investigators are looking into allegations that Trump asked the new Ukrainian president to dig up dirt on the son of Joe Biden, a Democratic political rival. Hunter Biden sat on the board of the Ukrainian gas company called Burisma. Mr Kent said he raised concerns in 2015 that his status could create the perception of a conflict of interest.
But Mr Kent said he never saw any attempt to shield Burisma from scrutiny because of Biden’s connection to the company.
Mr Kent testified that Mr Trump wanted the Ukrainian President to “go to a microphone” and read a statement that included nothing less than the words: “investigations, Biden, and Clinton.”
Mr Kent testified there is “no factual basis” for allegations that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, something that has been floated by Trump allies.
“I think it’s amply clear that Russian interference was at the heart of the interference,” he said.
CELEBRITIES REACT TO IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
Hollywood has started tweeting for Mr Trump to be ousted amid the beginning of public impeachment hearings.
Today is a historic day, a serious day, and a day when we should all stop and think about what we want and should demand of our leaders and our country. #ImpeachmentInquiry #ImpeachmentHearing https://t.co/BezhA43OWN
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) November 13, 2019
Watched Amb. Taylor’s riveting testimony in full and it’s left me stunned at what has been going on. The two channels he spoke about are stunning. It’s hard to imagine after hearing him that anyone could doubt that politics was center stage in this issue. #ImpeachmentHearings
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) November 13, 2019
Ambassador Taylor, Mr. Kent. Listen to them both. Listen to your own voice. You know what they are saying. They have nothing to gain. They are public servants. They are serving their country’s best interest. #ImpeachmentHearings
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) November 13, 2019
People try and confuse the truth when they don’t want you to know the truth. It’s called gaslighting. Focus yourself on the testimonies, then leave and take a walk. You know. #ImpeachmentHearings
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) November 13, 2019
People died because Trump withheld assistance.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 13, 2019
That’s it. End of story.
Trumpsters, this is disgusting.
Honest question—
How are you still supporting this man?!#ImpeachmentHearings
It is 💔ing to realize how hard Ambassador Taylor was fighting to get aid to Ukraine.
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) November 13, 2019
He was drawn into this Trump bribery scandal against his will.
He knew people were dying and are STILL dying over a corrupt, political mess begun by YOUR “president†#ImpeachmentHearings
ambassador taylor - thank u #ImpeachAndRemove
— ROSIE (@Rosie) November 13, 2019
Originally published as Donald Trump slams public impeachment hearing as evidence begins