Trump hearings: from Ukraine theory to impeachment probe

What to look out for at impeachment hearings.

US President Donald Trump. Picture: Getty Images

What we know

On May 23 Donald Trump told a trio of officials — US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, ­Energy Secretary Rick Perry and then-US envoy Kurt Volker — that Ukraine had tried to hurt him in the 2016 election and that the officials should talk to his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, about his concerns.

Trump’s marching orders set in motion what the witnesses have described as an irregular diplomatic channel through which the Trump administration used held-up military aid to Ukraine and a White House meeting to pressure that country to initiate investigations that could help the President politically.

Among the episodes described at which the pressure campaign became visible: an early July meeting in Toronto with Ukrainian ­officials at which senior State ­Department official George Kent was present and a pair of phone calls in early September involving acting US ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor.

The story within the story ­involves how Trump came to ­embrace the idea that Ukraine, and not Russia, had meddled in the 2016 election, an unfounded ­theory that some advisers tried to wave the President away from.

From their perches at the State Department, this week’s witnesses were privy to a lot, thanks to their conversations with Ukrainian contacts and Trump officials.

The witnesses learned of the hold on military aid when an anonymous budget official piped up on a July 18 call saying that hold came from the President via chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Taylor, whose notetaking skills and ­inclusion in conversations in the irregular diplomatic channel make him a star witness, has said he has a “clear understanding” of a link between military aid and ­investigations, but that is largely based on a conversation with Sondland and a separate conversation with a National Security Council official.

Star witnesses

Bill Taylor: The acting ambassador to Ukraine is expected to testify about what he has called an “irregular, informal channel” handling Ukraine policy that ­included Giuliani. Taylor testified, along with others, that he believed the release of nearly $US400m in security aid, as well as a White House meeting, were contingent on Ukrainian President Volody­myr Zelensky announcing investigations into the Bidens.

George Kent: The senior State Department official for European and Eurasian affairs is expected to outline his growing concern about the administration using informal diplomatic channels that circumvented normal procedures and ­efforts to oust Marie Yovanovitch when she was the US ambassador to Ukraine.

Marie Yovanovitch: The former ambassador is expected to ­detail the effort to oust her. Democrats say that while it isn’t directly tied to the aid, the effort by the Trump administration to push her out shows how badly it wanted ­announcements of investigations in the region.

Key voices

Adam Schiff: Congress’s intelligence committee chairman is ­expected to take a forceful role. The Democrat plans to defer to the committee’s lawyers for much of the questioning, but he will discipline anyone trying to get identifying information about the whistleblower on to the public ­record.

Jim Himes: The Connecticut Democrat is a senior member of the intelligence panel and has said he understands that Democrats need to do a better job explaining why they want to impeach the President over the Ukraine matter. Expect his questioning to ­attempt that.

Devin Nunes: The top ­Republican on the intelligence committee is the only Republican allowed to deliver an opening statement and who can ask questions throughout the Republican time for questioning. Transcripts show that in the previous depositions, he often deferred to the lawyers.

Jim Jordan: The top Republican on the oversight committee and fierce defender of the President was placed on the intelligence committee for the public phase of impeachment.

The Wall Street Journal