GOP Counsel Presses Taylor, Kent on Trump and Ukraine on Day 1 of Impeachment Hearings

Castor implies, without evidence, that the Justice Department investigation into actions around the 2016 election includes looking at what happened in Ukraine or with Ukrainians. Taylor says he doesn't know anything about it.

The Justice Department has declined to comment on whether its investigation is looking at anything related to Ukraine.

The first public hearing in the formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump began Wednesday, as the House Intelligence Committee heard testimony from two State Department officials.

The committee, led by Chairman Adam Schiff, received testimony from William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of State in the European and Eurasian bureau.

The committees leading the investigation have invited two additional witnesses to testify behind closed doors. David Holmes, the political counselor in the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, was asked to appear on Friday, according to an official working on the inquiry.

Holmes is the embassy staff member who overheard a July 26 phone conversation between Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, according to two officials. Taylor testified Wednesday that Sondland told Holmes after the call that Trump “cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for,” than for Ukraine.

The committees also invited Mark Sandy, the associate director for national security programs at the White House Office of Management and Budget, to appear on Saturday, according to the first official.

Taylor was asked about U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s communications with the president.

“Did you come to understand Sondland had a direct channel of communication to Trump?” Taylor was asked by Democratic staffer Daniel Goldman.

“I did,” said Taylor.

Taylor said he was “alarmed” when he realized that the U.S. was withholding military aid from Ukraine, in addition to the promise of a White House meeting, while Trump was pressing that country to investigate Joe Biden’s family.

“It’s one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House” to get Ukraine to conduct the probe, Taylor said. “It’s another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance, security assistance to a country at war” that depended on the aid and on a demonstration of support from the U.S.

“Security assistance was much more alarming,” Taylor said.

Questioning of the witnesses began with Schiff asking Taylor about the previously undisclosed July 26 phone call.

Taylor said his staff member told him that Trump was speaking loudly enough to be overheard over a cell phone. When Trump referred to “investigations,” that was understood to refer to a Ukrainian probe of the 2016 election and of the company whose board included Joe Biden’s son, Taylor said.

Schiff asked whether the staffer said he was told Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden.

“And Burisma, yes sir,” Taylor said.

“I take it the import of that is he cares more about that than he does about Ukraine,” added Schiff.

“Yes sir,” said Taylor.

Taylor added some new information to his prior testimony that he said he wasn’t aware of when he appeared behind closed doors last month. He described a call that took place one day after Trump spoke with Ukraine’s president.

In the newly disclosed July 26 call, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland spoke with Trump at a restaurant in the presence of a member of Taylor’s staff, he said.

The member of Taylor’s staff could hear Trump on the phone, “asking Ambassador Sondland about ‘the investigations,’” Taylor said. “Ambassador Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward.”

“Following the call with President Trump, the member of my staff asked Ambassador Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine,” Taylor said. “Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for.”

“At the time I gave my deposition on Oct. 22, I was not aware of this information. I am including it here for completeness,” Taylor said. He said he was informed about the call last week by the member of his staff.

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