Impeachment inquiry: Envoy Bill Taylor had ‘clear understanding’ aid was tied to probes
In bombshell testimony, US envoy says he had ‘clear understanding’ of a quid pro quo.
The acting US ambassador to Ukraine says it was his “clear understanding” that US military aid was withheld from the Ukraine unless that country investigated Democrats for Donald Trump.
The bombshell testimony from William Taylor came as Democrats announced they would begin public hearings next week, opening a major new phase in the impeachment inquiry.
The release of a transcript of Mr Taylor’s closed-door testimony provided further evidence of a quid pro quo between the provision of almost $US400 in military aid to Ukraine and Mr Trump’s desire that Ukraine investigate his political rival Joe Biden.
When asked whether the decision to withhold US military aid to Ukraine was conditioned on that country committing to an investigation of Joe Biden and the Democrats’ actions in the 2016 election, Mr Taylor said: “That was my clear understanding, security assistance money would not come until the (Ukraine) president committed to pursue the investigation.”
When he was asked if he was aware that “quid pro quo” meant “this for that,” Mr Taylor replied “I am.”
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“I became increasingly concerned that our relationship with Ukraine was being fundamentally undermined by an irregular, informal channel of US policymaking, and by the withholding of vital security assistance for domestic, political reasons,” Mr Taylor said. He believed that withholding US aid “in exchange for help with a domestic political campaign in the United States would be crazy.”
But Mr Taylor’s testimony does not directly implicate Mr Trump and he said he did not have any conversations or communications directly with Mr Trump about the issue. “I don’t know what was in the president’s mind,” Mr Taylor said.
He said he believed the person who came up with the idea of asking the Ukraine to publicly commit to an investigation of the Bidens was Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Mr Taylor’s testimony was released a day after US diplomat Gordon Sondland changed his testimony to say that US aid to Ukraine was tied to anti-corruption investigations which Donald Trump wanted.
Mr Taylor said Mr Sondland had also told him the White House was linking the issue of military aid to the issue of investigations.
“That’s what Ambassador Sondland said,” Mr Taylor testified. “He said that they were linked. They were linked.”
With a string of witness having now suggested that there were linkages between US aid and an investigation into Mr Trump’s political opponents, the Democrats said they would hold their first public hearings beginning next Thursday (AEST).
“Those open hearings will be an opportunity for the American people to evaluate the witnesses for themselves, to make their own determinations about the credibility of the witnesses, but also to learn firsthand about the facts of the president’s misconduct,” house Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said.
He claimed that the witnesses would show that ‘the most important facts are largely not contested.’
The first three witnesses to be called have already given private testimony.
Mr Taylor will give evidence next Thursday (AEDT) along with the senior State Department official on Ukraine George Kent. On Saturday (AEDT) former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch will appear.
Mr Trump had denied any wrongdoing and has said there was no quid pro quo between the provision of US aid and his request to Ukraine to investigate the activities of Joe Biden and his son. Hunter in Ukraine.
The president has labeled the inquiry a witch hunt and the White House has tried to block several key officials from appearing in what they say is a sham partisan political circus.
The political heat over impeachment continued to rise with the president’s son Donald Trump Jnr tweeting the name of a person suspected of being the intelligence whistleblower whose complaint about the president triggered the impeachment inquiry.
The person’s name has been reported on some conservative US websites and the president has called for his identity to be revealed but mainstream US media has not reported it, citing the need for whistleblowers to remain anonymous.
The Democrat’s will use public hearings to try to persuade the American public that Mr Trump’s actions amounted to a potentially impeachable offense.
Some Republicans have argued that even if the president tried to use his office to pressure the Ukraine government to investigate the Bidens, it still does not rise to the level of ‘high crimes and misdemeanours’ required for impeachment.
Public hearings to start next week
The House Intelligence Committee will begin public hearings in its impeachment probe next week, with two State Department officials along with the former US ambassador to Ukraine scheduled to appear, the chairman of the panel has said.
The appearances of acting US ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent next Wednesday, followed by former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Friday, will mark a new phase for the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
All three witnesses have already testified behind closed doors, but their public comments will be the first chance for the public to hear from them directly and evaluate their credibility.
The hearings were announced by intelligence panel Chairman Adam Schiff on Twitter, and he said there would be more to come.
Next week, the House Intelligence Committee will hold its first open hearings as part of the impeachment inquiry.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 6, 2019
On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, we will hear from William Taylor and George Kent.
On Friday, November 15, 2019, we will hear from Marie Yovanovitch.
More to come.
The impeachment inquiry is centred on the efforts President Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to push Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, as well as alleged interference in the 2016 election. Democrats have released transcripts of testimony from previous witnesses who have described a purported quid pro quo of nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine in exchange for the investigations.
“Those open hearings will be an opportunity for the American people to evaluate the witnesses for themselves, to make their own determinations about the credibility of the witnesses, but also to learn first-hand about the facts of the president’s misconduct,” Mr. Schiff told reporters.
But Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, said that none of the witnesses had been told first-hand by Mr. Trump to do anything improper. “It’s all based on what someone told someone,” said Mr. Jordan.
Democrats say the pressure on Ukraine amounted to an abuse of presidential power designed to boost Mr. Trump’s re-election prospects. Mr. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the impeachment inquiry a hoax.
Another top State Department official appeared before House investigators Wednesday, making him the first official to be deposed this week in the impeachment probe after several others declined.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, a career member of the Foreign Service, has held the No. 3 post at the State Department since August 2018. He is likely to be asked about what he knew regarding an effort to undermine Ms. Yovanovitch and efforts by Mr. Giuliani to establish an unofficial diplomatic channel to Ukraine.
The State Department didn’t respond to a request for comment on Mr. Hale’s planned closed-door appearance.
Mr. Hale’s name first arose in the impeachment inquiry last month when a senior State Department official, Philip Reeker, testified about support for Ms. Yovanovitch being stymied after Mr. Trump had her removed in the spring. Mr. Reeker’s deputy, George Kent, expressed concerns about Mr. Giuliani’s role in Ukraine-related affairs to Mr. Reeker and Mr. Hale, according to documents released to Congress by the State Department’s inspector general.
The House also invited Rick Perry, the outgoing energy secretary; Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget; and Ulrich Brechbuhl, State Department counsellor, to testify on Wednesday, but none appeared.
Separately Wednesday, Tim Morrison, a former top national-security adviser to Mr. Trump, returned to committee rooms where witnesses are able to review their testimony. In his deposition, Mr. Morrison said he had been told of a purported quid pro quo involving military aid to Ukraine, but Mr. Morrison also said that he didn’t think Mr. Trump had done anything illegal on a July 25 phone call in which the president pushed for investigations that could undercut Democrats.
The House panels have also scheduled closed-door testimony on Friday by Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, and Mark Sandy, the OMB associate director for national-security programs. The White House said that Mr. Mulvaney won’t appear. Mr. Sandy didn’t respond to an email asking if he would testify.
Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia
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