WASHINGTON (AP) Developments on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump (all times Eastern Standard Time).
- 2:15 p.m.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine that he was “wrong” to have said there was a clear understanding that President Trump was withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigations of Democrats. Jordan was questioning William Taylor during the first public hearing in the House impeachment inquiry.
Taylor has said his understanding was based on conversations with other diplomats. But Jordan said the president of Ukraine never announced an investigation and the aid was eventually released.
The aid was released in September following an outcry in the U.S. Congress.
Jordan mockingly called Taylor the Democrats’ “star witness” and said he has “seen church prayer chains that are easier to understand than this.”
Taylor responded that he didn’t consider himself a star witness.
- 1:50 p.m.
A lawyer handling the questioning for Republican lawmakers during the impeachment proceedings suggested the Trump administration’s interactions with Ukraine could have been more “outlandish” than they actually were.
Steve Castor asked Taylor if the “irregular channel” the administration used for outreach to Ukraine was “not as outlandish as it could be.”
Taylor laughed, but then conceded it was not.
Taylor has described an “irregular channel” in which Ukraine policy was delegated to the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, for the purpose of advancing the president’s personal and political interests.
- 1:30 p.m.
Ukraine played a starring role in the historic U.S. impeachment hearings — but Ukrainians themselves seem more worried about a divisive government plan for land reform.
Ukraine’s day was ending up by the time Wednesday’s public hearing started in the U.S., and local newscasts focused on a bill that would allow Ukrainians to sell their land for the first time in nearly 20 years. Kyiv residents had strong opinions about that measure, but appeared perplexed by the details of what’s happening in the U.S. Congress.
Ukrainian officials have sought to distance themselves from the impeachment inquiry.
Former legislator Serhiy Leshchenko was among the few following the proceedings closely. He fears Ukraine may have to wait for next year’s U.S. election to renew normal relations with the American government.
- 1:15 p.m.
The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee said President Trump “would have a perfectly good reason for wanting to find out what happened” if there were indications that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., questioned a couple of State Department witnesses in the first public hearing in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
National security officials have told Congress they don’t believe Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election.
Democrats opened their investigation after a whistleblower complaint revealed Trump had requested that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden and his family and Ukraine’s role in the 2016 election.
Democrats said the requests for politically motivated investigations were impeachable, but Republicans disagree.
- 12:45 p.m.
President Trump said he was “too busy” to watch the first public impeachment hearing.
But he told reporters as he met with his Turkish counterpart in the Oval Office that he was “sure” he would “get a report” from staff on the hearing, which he dismissed as a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”
Trump also criticized the use of staff lawyers to question witnesses. He dismissed Daniel Goldman, the investigations chief for Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Steve Castor, the chief investigative counsel for Republicans, as “television lawyers.”
William Taylor and George Kent testified in the first public hearing of the House impeachment inquiry.
Investigators have been examining whether Trump abused the power of his presidency by pressing Ukraine’s leader to investigate Trump’s political rivals.
- 12:15 p.m.
The president called the House hearings the “single greatest scam in the history of American politics.”
Trump responded to the hearings with a new video directed at his supporters.
Trump said in the video filmed in the White House Rose Garden that Democrats want to take away his viewers’ guns, health care, freedom, and votes.
“They’re trying to stop me because I’m fighting for you. And I’ll never let that happen,” he added.
Trump spent the morning responding to the hearing on Twitter. He planned to hold a press conference alongside his Turkish counterpart later in the day.
- 12:10 p.m.
William Taylor told impeachment investigators that detailed notes he took about what he saw as irregular policy in Ukraine may be provided to Congress “sooner or later.”
Taylor said the notes “may be coming” even though the State Department has so far defied a subpoena to provide documents related to President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
House intelligence committee investigator Dan Goldman responded that they would “welcome” those notes.
Taylor has said he based his testimony about concerns over the policy on detailed notes, including notepads he kept at his desk and in his pocket. But Trump has directed federal agencies not to cooperate with the impeachment investigation, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he won’t provide the documents.
- 12:05 p.m.
While public hearings have begun, the House also continued closed-door sessions.
Two more witnesses were expected this week. David Holmes a State Department official, was invited to appear Friday. And Mark Sandy, the associate director for national security programs at the White House Office of Management and Budget, was invited for Saturday.
That’s according to an official working on the impeachment inquiry who was not authorized to divulge details of the closed-door hearings.
It’s not clear they will appear. Some witnesses have, others have not.
- 11:55 a.m.
Taylor said a cellphone conversation his aide overheard between another diplomat and President Trump in July showed the president cared more about investigations into Democrat Joe Biden than he did about Ukraine.
Taylor said “yes, sir” when Intelligence Committee Chairman Schiff asked if the importance of that overheard conversation was that Trump cared more about the politically motivated probes he was requesting from Ukraine than he did about the East European ally itself.
Taylor told lawmakers the unnamed aide had told him about the cellphone conversation he overheard between European Union Ambassador Gordan Sondland and Trump on July 26.
He said he didn’t know about that call when he first testified behind closed doors on Oct. 22.
- 11:45 a.m.
Taylor said he thought it was “crazy” and “illogical” for the Trump administration to make military aid contingent on Ukraine announcing investigations into political rival Joe Biden.
Responding to questioning from House investigator Goldman, Taylor said the security assistance was important not only to Ukraine but to America’s own military interests. He said “it made no sense” to withhold that money and was “counterproductive to all of what we had been trying to do.”
Goldman showed Taylor text messages Taylor sent to other diplomats explaining his belief that it was “crazy” to withhold the military aid for political gain.
- 11:40 a.m.
The president’s chief spokeswoman said Trump wasn’t watching the hearing.
Stephanie Grisham emailed reporters that Trump was participating in meetings in the Oval Office. “Not watching. He’s working,” she wrote.
Trump was to meet around noon with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then a separate gathering with senators invited by the White House.
Trump opened the day lashing out on Twitter at the inquiry and the two career U.S. diplomats who were about to testify.
The inquiry focuses on a July telephone call in which Trump sought to get the leader of Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine and has described his July phone conversation with Ukraine’s president as “perfect.”
- 11:30 a.m.
U.S. diplomat Taylor said two other envoys invoked President Trump’s history as a businessman in trying to explain the U.S. relationship with Ukraine.
Taylor described for lawmakers a September phone call in which Ambassador Sondland told him Trump was a businessman and businessmen ask people who owe something to pay up before they write out a check.
He said Kurt Volker used the same language several days later while they were together at the Yalta European Strategy Conference in Ukraine.
Taylor said he told both that the explanation made no sense and the Ukrainians did not owe Trump anything and holding up security assistance for domestic political gain was “crazy.”
- 11:15 a.m.
Taylor said he was told that military aid to Ukraine and a White House visit for the new leader were contingent on a public announcement of investigations.
Taylor testified that Ambassador Sondland told him “everything” was dependent on whether Ukraine’s president publicly announced investigations into Joe Biden’s son and potential interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Taylor says he was told Trump wanted the Ukrainian leader “in a public box” by making the statement.
No statement was ever released.
- 11: 03 a.m.
Taylor said he noticed there were two policy channels operating with Ukraine, a “regular” and an “irregular” one.
He said presidential personal lawyer Giuliani was guiding requests through the irregular channel, which was unaccountable to Congress.
Taylor said it slowly became clear to him that conditions were placed on Ukraine’s new president.
- 10:55 a.m.
President Trump’s reelection campaign was trying to turn the public impeachment hearings into a fundraising boon.
The campaign has emailed and texted supporters urging them to give. They’ve set a fundraising goal of $3 million over the next 24 hours.
Trump and his campaign were trying to turn the inquiry into a rallying cry for supporters by making the case that it was an attempt by Democrats to invalidate the results of the 2016 election and harm Trump’s chances in 2020.
They called the hearings “fake” and a “TOTAL SCAM.”
One email read that, “It’s time to make a statement” and “do something so EPIC that even the FAKE NEWS media won’t be able to ignore us while these baseless Witch Hunt Trials go on.”
- 10:50 a.m.
State Department official Kent said he never saw any effort by U.S. officials to shield from scrutiny a Ukrainian natural gas company where Hunter Biden sat on the board.
During the Obama administration, the vice president’s son sat on the board of the Ukrainian gas company called Burisma. Kent said he raised concerns in 2015 that his status could create the perception of a conflict of interest.
But Kent said he never saw any attempt to shield Burisma from scrutiny because of Biden’s connection to the company.
- 10:45 a.m.
There was an early clash at the hearing over the identity of the whistleblower whose complaint sparked the impeachment inquiry.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Schiff said he would do everything necessary to protect the whistleblower’s identity. Schiff said he would “not permit the outing of the whistleblower.”
Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, asked Schiff to subpoena the whistleblower to appear behind closed doors. Schiff said he would consider the request after the two diplomats appearing before the committee on Wednesday concluded their public testimony.
The impeachment inquiry was sparked after the whistleblower’s complaint about President Trump’s July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy alleged Trump pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden’s family.
Schiff said he does not know the whistleblower’s identity.
- 10:42 a.m.
Deputy assistant secretary of state Kent said he did not believe the U.S. should ask other countries to engage in “selective, politically associated investigations.”
Kent said such “selective actions” undermine the rule of law regardless of the country.
- 10:35 a.m.
In his opening statement at the hearing, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said Democrats “turned on a dime” after the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and then focused on Ukraine with “a carefully orchestrated media smear campaign.”
He told the hearing’s two witnesses that he would like to welcome them, but said Americans’ trust in government has been damaged since “elements of the civil service have decided that they, not the president, are really in charge.”
State Department officials Kent and Taylor have told lawmakers in earlier closed-door sessions they had concerns about Trump’s Ukraine policy.
Nunes said the hearings were “an impeachment process in search of a crime.”
- 10:30 a.m.
Rep. Schiff said “there are still missing pieces” in the impeachment investigation.
He noted the Trump administration has withheld many documents and several witnesses did not appear at Trump’s direction.
Schiff said that will force Congress to consider “whether Trump’s obstruction of the constitutional duties of Congress constitute additional grounds for impeachment.”
He said “this is not what our founders intended.”
- 10:22 a.m.
Schiff said the impeachment inquiry was a test of “what kind of conduct or misconduct” Americans will expect of their president.
Getting the first public hearing underway, Schiff sought to frame the inquiry as a choice of what sort of presidential behavior will be tolerated.
He asked if the House finds Trump abused his power, invited foreign election interference, or tried to coerce an ally to investigate a political rival, “must we simply get over it?”
That had been the message of White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in an October press conference, when he said it was normal for the U.S. to place conditions on foreign aid.
“Is that what Americans should now expect from their president?” Schiff added.
- 10:18 a.m.
Schiff said the questions at the heart of the were simple but also “terrible” to consider.
He said the matter boiled down to whether the president sought to condition a White House visit or military aid on Ukraine’s willingness to open an investigation into Democratic rival Biden. And if he did, is that “abuse of power” incompatible with the office of the presidency.
Schiff said the answers will affect not only the future of the Trump administration but also of the presidency itself, and what kind of behavior the American public can expect from their commander in chief.
- 9:25 a.m.
Trump tweeted “NEVER TRUMPERS!” before the hearing opened on Capitol Hill with testimony from William Taylor, the charge d’affaires in Ukraine, and George Kent, a career diplomat. Trump sought to undermine Kent and Taylor with the tweet suggesting they were among members of the foreign policy establishment that never supported him.
Taylor and Kent worked for Republican and Democratic administrations. There’s no evidence they engaged in partisan activity opposing Trump.
Maintaining his telephone conversation with Ukranian President Zelenskiy was “perfect” and he did nothing wrong, Trump tweeted: “READ THE TRANSCRIPT!”
- 8:40 a.m.
The Kremlin drew a parallel between the impeachment proceedings against President Trump and accusations of Russia’s interference in his election.
Asked about Wednesday’s hearing on Capitol Hill, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded “there are a lot of things far-fetched.”
Peskov compared the proceedings to the U.S. claims of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which he described as having “little relation to reality.”
The Kremlin has shrugged off special counsel Robert Mueller’s exposure of Russian interference in the vote.
Mueller found there wasn’t enough evidence to establish a conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia. But Mueller charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers with breaking into Democratic Party computers and the email accounts of officials with Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
