Over a dozen officials have come forward so far. Since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry in September, there has been a steady drumbeat of current and former administration and government officials who have come forward, either willingly or under subpoena, to testify in the rapidly developing probe.
A second panel of witnesses testifying Monday includes former US attorney for the North District of Georgia BJay Pak, who was pressured to embrace Trump's fraud claims and resigned; former Philadelphia city commissioner Al Schmidt, who debunked false claims about election fraud in Philadelphia; and conservative election attorney Ben Ginsberg, wh...
U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who chairs the committee, said that the hearings were intended to investigate the "historical and constitutional basis for impeachment." Democrats called three legal experts to testify at the inquiry, while Republicans only called one legal expert.
The first current White House official to testify, Vindman, in his opening remarks, said he “did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen” and that he “was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine.”
He is also the author of a 1996 book about impeachment, The Federal Impeachment Process: A Constitutional and Historical Analysis. Gerhardt appeared to strongly support the case against Trump in his testimony. "If Congress fails to impeach, then the impeachment process has lost all meaning," he said.
A Harvard Law School Professor and public intellectual, Noah Feldman is an expert in constitutional law and the legal aspects of religion. He is also the author of eight books and an opinion columnist.
Gerhardt appeared to strongly support the case against Trump in his testimony.
Key players in the Trump impeachment probe and what they testified to Congress. Over a dozen officials have come forward so far. William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent , a senior State Department official are the first two witnesses set to testify.
Philip Reeker, acting assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, is escorted by police officers as he leaves after testifying in impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, in Washington D.C., Oct. 26, 2019.
Testified that Rudy Giuliani carried out a “campaign of lies” to smear Yovanovitch and that Giuliani pushed Ukraine on Trump’s behalf to investigate Biden based on an unfounded theory about the country’s interference in the 2016 election.
Following Trump’s July 25 Ukraine call, Vindman -- who was listening to the call -- said he had “no doubt” that Trump was pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival, according to the transcript. He also said he reported his concerns to the National Security Council’s top lawyer because he was so “concerned.”
Atkinson testified behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee, providing investigators information obtained in his efforts to corroborate the whistleblower complaint that sparked an impeachment investigation into President Trump.
One of those messages, sent by Bill Taylor on Sept. 9, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, said, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”. U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland replied, “Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump’s intentions.
Sondland, a hotelier from the Pacific Northwest who initially backed Jeb Bush during the 2016 election cycle, wrote checks to the Trump inaugural committee totalling $1 million.