This archive report was first published on 9 November 2019.
Impeachment Investigators Release Transcripts of Key Witnesses ¶
On Friday, impeachment investigators released interview transcripts for two major witnesses: Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, and Fiona Hill, President Trump's former adviser on Russia and Europe.
Ms. Hill's testimony includes a dramatic scene at the White House, where she and John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, tried to foil attempts by Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, to pressure Ukraine into an investigation.
According to Ms. Hill's transcript, the scene unfolded on July 10 in Mr. Bolton's office, near the Oval Office, during a meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials to discuss national security, energy policy, and the possibility of a White House visit for Ukraine's new president.
Ms. Hill described how she and Mr. Bolton tried to stop Mr. Sondland from promising a presidential meeting to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in exchange for an investigation into a particular energy company with ties to Hunter Biden.
Ms. Hill's testimony reflects the deep sense of anger and outrage that these professionals on the National Security Council had at the subversion of a normal foreign policy decision-making process in favor of an ad hoc, politically driven system of decision-making.
Ms. Hill's actions also highlight the concerns about the shadow foreign policy being pursued by Mr. Trump and his allies, which allegedly sought a quid pro quo from Kiev for Mr. Trump's political benefit.
Other key points from the testimony include:
- A lawyer for Mr. Bolton said that he knows about 'many relevant meetings and conversations' that House impeachment investigators have not yet been informed of, but Mr. Bolton would not testify without a court ruling on whether he should.
- Republicans are readying a defense of Mr. Trump ahead of next week's public hearings, with Representative Kevin McCarthy shuffling the makeup of a key committee to allow Representative Jim Jordan to take part in the hearings.
Read more about the impeachment inquiry and its key players, including Mr. Eisenberg, who has emerged as a central figure in the investigation.
