Impeachment Hearing Update: Recapping Day 1, What's To Come

The House of Representatives impeachment inquiry centers around whether President Donald Trump used the power of his presidency to solicit a foreign government to influence the 2020 U.S. election. Specifically, he is accused of asking Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to investigate former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden while withholding nearly $400 million in military aid approved by Congress.

William Taylor, a top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, publicly testified for more than five hours on Wednesday about their knowledge of President Donald Trump's alleged request to Ukraine.

The next televised impeachment hearing will be on Friday as lawmakers are set to hear from former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. She told lawmakers last month that there was a "concerted campaign" against her that was spearheaded by Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, according to The Associated Press.

Here are some of the latest updates:

Key Moments From the First Public Impeachment Hearing

William Taylor told the committee that a member of his staff overheard a phone conversation in which Trump mentioned "the investigations" to Gordon Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union.

After the call the aide asked Sondland what the president thought of Ukraine, the ambassador responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden than the country, according to Taylor.

The New York Times

Trump Weighs In On 'Star' Impeachment Witnesses

President Trump remained active on Twitter during the majority of Wednesday impeachment hearing, and he weighed in early Thursday morning on what he thought about the two witnesses.

.@RepRatcliffe asked the two “star” witnesses, “where is the impeachable event in that call?” Both stared straight ahead with a blank look on their face, remained silent, & were unable to answer the question. That would be the end of a case run by normal people! - but not Shifty!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2019

Trump has denied any wrong doing and labeled the whole impeachment process as a "witch hunt."

The Hill

Taylor's Bombshell And 12 More Big Impeachment Hearing Moments

Rep. Jim Jordan wasted no time in making his presence felt after getting subbed onto the Committee last second. Early in the proceedings, he accused Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of knowing the identity of the Ukraine whistleblower whose complaint kicked off the inquiry.

"You are the only member who knows who that individual is. Your staff is the only staff of any member of Congress that's had a chance to talk with that individual," Jordan said. Schiff quickly denied the statement, saying that he too was unaware of the whistleblower's identity.

Politico

READ: Former Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch's Testimony To Congress

Marie Yovanovitch is slated to appear in front of the Committee on Friday, but she's already testified to Congress once behind closed doors. Yovanovitch was recalled from her post in the spring after what she described as a "concerted campaign" against her that she claims Trump himself led.

The full transcript of her testimony is available above.

NPR

READ: Opening Statement Of Deputy Assistant Secretary Of State George Kent

George Kent, a senior State Department official testified that Rudy Giuliani's "effort to gin up politically motivated investigations were ... infecting U.S. engagement with Ukraine." The veteran diplomat also said he had previously raised concerns about Hunter Biden's status as a board member with the Ukrainian gas company Burisma.

He was also quick to add, though, "Let me be clear, however, I did not witness any efforts by any U.S. official to shield Burisma from scrutiny."

NPR