Trump impeachment news: Witness warns of Russian 'fictional narrative' in damning testimony as Republican conspiracy theories challenged
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Your support makes all the difference.The fifth day of public impeachment hearings has come and gone, with another pair of key witnesses delivering damning evidence against Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the president spent his time lashing out against the proceedings on Twitter, writing: “Never in my wildest dreams thought my name would in any way be associated with the ugly word, Impeachment!”
Mr Trump has had a more controversial week than usual, as his EU ambassador, Gordon Sondland, implicated the president in a quid pro quo with Ukraine during his own impeachment hearings - along with vice president Mike Pence, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. “Was there a ‘quid pro quo’?" Mr Sondland said in his opening statement. "As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes."
The president's critics have said the proceedings are exposing impeachable offences, including ex-White House ethics lawyer Richard W Painter, who said it was effectively “game over” for his administration. Mr Trump has attempted to undermine the inquiry, insisting that he barely knew his ambassador and wanted “NOTHING” from Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. As all that happened, the Democratic 2020 contenders took to the debate stage in Georgia to attack Mr Trump as "one of the most corrupt presidents" in US history.
During the Thursday testimony, Fiona Hill, a former White House adviser on Ukraine, and David Holmes, a top staffer at the US embassy in Ukraine, testified about the irregular channel of communication in which Mr Trump pushed for a domestic-ally oriented political investigation.
Ms Hill told investigators that she believed Republican arguments claiming that it was OK for Mr Trump to ask for an investigation into Ukraine's 2016 role played into Russian talking points, and that furtherance of that played into their hands.
Mr Homes, meanwhile, told investigators that he was on the phone call that allegedly occurred 26 July, just a day after Mr Trump's call with Mr Zelensky. He said that he could hear the president speaking, even though he was not on spearker phone.
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Though Republican Will Hurd denounces the events that transpired in the Trump administration, he says he has not "not heard evidence proving that the president committed bribery or extortion".
Wow - Eric Swalwell asked to include the below article into the record, which says Devin Nunes was meeting with Lev Parnas in Europe:
David Holmes provides a pretty sound explanation as to why he felt comfortable discussing the content of the phone call between Gordon Sondland and Donald Trump:
"Sir, I think it was Gordon Sondland who showed indiscretion by having that conversation over a public phone line."
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff spoke out about Republicans repeatedly interrupting the impeachment witnesses as they deliver evidence against Donald Trump:
"Mr. Conaway, it's unfair. It's unfair, Mr. Conaway, to interrupt the witnesses as you have done repeatedly ... We allow the witnesses to answer the question even if those asking the question don't want to hear the answer."
Democrat Denny Heck has tweeted a video from his line of questioning along with the caption: "The facts are no longer in dispute. The President pressured a foreign government for made-up dirt on a political opponent, compromised our national security, and endangered the integrity of our elections. The President did it. The only question remaining is: What will we do?"
Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney asked Fiona Hill: "Is it fair to say that you felt it was improper what was occurring by Mr Sondland in the ward room?"
Ms Hill responds: "It was improper and it was inappropriate and we said that at the time in real time."
She also adds that it is "not credible" to her that Mr Sondland was "oblivious" about the connection between Burisma and the Bidens.
Fiona Hill says Vladimir Putin "will always follow through with a threat".
Asked about whether she's a "leftist Soros insider" as several right-wing Republicans have called her, Fiona Hill responded: "I think my coal mining family will be very surprised to hear all of these things about me."
Time for questioning from House members has ended. Republican ranking member Devin Nunes is now delivering his closing remarks, immediately starting with criticism of the Democrats.
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