The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday is holding its fourth public hearing as part of the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Congressional investigators are hearing testimony from Kurt Volker, the former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, who briefly served as the National Security Council’s top official for Europe and Russia. Volker gave a closed-door deposition before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight committees on October 3, testifying that President Trump did not want Ukraine to “dig up dirt” on former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden, nor did he ever reference the 2020 election to him. “I was never asked to do anything that I thought was wrong” by President Trump, he told lawmakers.
On October 31, Morrison testified privately that he believed nothing improper took place during President Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Nonetheless, a CIA analyst’s mischaracterization of the call formed the basis of a “whistleblower” complaint, sparking the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Earlier Tuesday, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council official, and Jennifer Williams, a Russia adviser for Vice President Mike Pence, testified publically before the House intel panel. Read Breitbart News’ livewire coverage of this morning’s hearing here.
**Follow live updates on this event from Breitbart News. All times in eastern.**
9:54 P.M. — Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) on why he doesn’t see impeachment happening:
"The fundamental question is where the American people will come down. Is this impeachable and does it require the removal of a duly elected President of the United States? I just don't see that here." -Republican Rep. Tom Reed weighs in on the public impeachment inquiry. pic.twitter.com/cfP2nHevKd
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) November 20, 2019
9:35 P.M. — Fox News host Sean Hannity slams the impeachment probe: “I have never seen this much madness or insanity in my life.”
9:32 P.M. — Donald Trump Jr. reacts to today’s hearings on Fox News’ Hannity:
Alexander Vindman claimed Under Oath that he does not know the Whistleblower’s identity.
It’s clear that Adam Schiff and Vindman know exactly who the Whistleblower is.
Republicans need to hold people who lie to Congress accountable.@DonaldJTrumpJr is spot on. pic.twitter.com/wP7HdBqcno
— ✌🏻 ALX 🇺🇸 ✌🏻 (@alx) November 20, 2019
9:31 P.M. — Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) tells CNN’s Christopher Cuomo that House Democrats are putting the country through “hell” with their impeachment probe.
.@RepTomReed on @CNN's @ChrisCuomo just now: "We put the country through hell during the Clinton impeachment. We're putting the country through hell now … We should learn a lesson."
— Adam Chodak (@AdamChodak) November 20, 2019
9:25 P.M. — President Trump quotes Democrat Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ), who opposes the impeachment inquiry.
Congressman Van Drew (D-NJ): We’ve spent millions of Dollars, in my opinion, tons of money, tons of time, tons of hurt, fracturing the Nation apart. I haven’t seen this to be a good thing.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2019
9:15 P.M. — Earlier Tuesday, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) tweeted that the House Democrats’ “impeachment is just a bad reality show that won’t be getting a second season.”
This impeachment is just a bad reality show that won’t be getting a second season.
And the only person who has been transparent is @realdonaldtrump. @RepAdamSchiff and the Democrats are creating their own version of due process. pic.twitter.com/59apufymyt
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) November 20, 2019
9:15 P.M. — Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI) claims Volker and Morrison’s testimonies were “probably the worst yet” for President Trump, despite the fact both testified that they believe no quid pro quo, bribery, or extortion was committed by the president regarding Ukraine.
Today was really bad for Pres. Trump, especially the afternoon testimonies of Volker and Morrison—probably the worst yet for the president. Republicans keep pressing witnesses on their legal understandings, but they are there as fact witnesses, and the facts are consistently bad.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) November 20, 2019
9:05 P.M. — White House issues a celebratory statement following today’s hearings:
Statement from White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham on impeachment inquiry:
“Today’s second hearing is over, and the Democrats’ central allegation in this impeachment sham has again been completely debunked." pic.twitter.com/lfjrHmG90C
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) November 20, 2019
8:58 P.M. — MSNBC is still talking about former special counsel Robert Mueller if you were wondering what coverage is like over there after today’s hearings.
WATCH: Walter Dellinger’s advice to Democrats after today’s impeachment hearings:
“Don’t lose sight of the Mueller report.” inners pic.twitter.com/OPY9N5St3Q
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) November 20, 2019
8:53 P.M. — Former President Nixon White House counsel John Dean with a bad take about impeachment on CNN: “This is not a successor of Watergate. This is a whole new breed of impeachment inquiry. That was very clear to me today.”
8:42 P.M. — A breakdown of today’s hearings by the numbers:
The House Intelligence Committee questioned witnesses for more than 9 hours today, over two hearings.
Vindman and Williams testified for roughly 4.5 hours, and Morrison and Volker testified for about 5 hours.
— Ben Siegel (@benyc) November 20, 2019
8:40 P.M. — Jordan speaks at the House intel panel’s press conference following today’s hearings.
Rep. Jim Jordan reacts to Vindman and Williams’ testimonies: “This was a very good day for the truth. A very good day for the president of the United States. A very good day for the country.” https://t.co/2LWioaRsde pic.twitter.com/j2WdCctzoY
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 20, 2019
8:37 P.M. — Meadows congratulates House intel panel Republicans for today’s performance:
Excellent work today from my colleagues @Jim_Jordan, @RepChrisStewart, @RepRatcliffe, @RepMikeTurner, @EliseStefanik, and several others.
The Democrats' impeachment effort against @realDonaldTrump didn't just fail to advance today — it took several steps back.
— Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) November 20, 2019
8:31 P.M. — The hearing has adjourned.
Volker, after Schiff ends hearing, walks to the dais to thank Democratic members.
Morrison, a former GOP Hill aide, also greets some lawmakers/aides before leaving.
— Ben Siegel (@benyc) November 20, 2019
8:27 P.M. —
Rep. Adam Schiff in closing statement: “Their defense is, ‘Well, he ended up releasing the aid.’ Yes, after he got caught. That doesn’t make this any less odious.” https://t.co/C41miVU9F5 pic.twitter.com/j6rQ5DLbud
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 20, 2019
8:26 P.M. —
.@RepAdamSchiff, in his closing statement, again defines bribery as the "conditioning of official acts in exchange for something of personal value."
— Ben Siegel (@benyc) November 20, 2019
8:22 P.M. — Schiff says in his closing statement: “I appreciate that you were able to debunk, I hope for the last time, the idea that Joe Biden did something wrong.”
Schiff to Volker: "You made it very clear that knowing what you do today — that in fact, the president sought an investigation of his political rival … you would not have countenanced any effort to encourage the Ukrainians to engage in such conduct." https://t.co/QfMpJlStvo pic.twitter.com/jey70DgnUh
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 20, 2019
8:22 P.M. — Nunes rips the ongoing impeachment probe as “salacious.”
8:18 P.M. — Volker disagrees with President Trump’s criticism of the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), calls him a war hero.
8:17 P.M. — Volker states President Trump’s tweet about Ambassador Maria Yavonavitch was “not appropriate.”
“I believe that even if you feel like you need to criticize, criticism is private, praise is public,” he adds.
8:11 P.M. —
Democrat Patrick Maloney pressed Morrison on why he reported the July 25 call to the NSC lawyer if he did not think there was anything improper in it: "You didn't see anything wrong with the call but you went straight to NSC legal to report it?"
— Doina Chiacu (@DoinaChiacu) November 20, 2019
8:06 P.M. — President Trump tweets:
A great day for Republicans, a great day for our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2019
8:05 P.M. —
It’s now 8 p.m. and there’s lots of empty seats here at the Volker / Morrison impeachment hearing pic.twitter.com/YJPQnOEHny
— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) November 20, 2019
7:50 P.M. — Volker to Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA): “I agree with you completely that we are not pushing back hard enough on Russia.”
7:46 P.M. — Morrison once again confirms he didn’t hear anything wrong during the Trump-Zelensky call.
Morrison says he did not think President Trump was "doing anything improper" in his call with Ukraine's president https://t.co/xHzl0V73EQ pic.twitter.com/EZe9QUFkHm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 20, 2019
7:45 P.M. — Morrison confirms each time Sondland told him he had spoken with President Trump, he checked the call logs to see it occurred.
7:40 P.M. — Volker: “Ambassador Sondland is a big personality and sometimes he says things that might be a bit bigger than life.”
7:35 P.M. — Volker on Sondland: “He cared about Ukraine. He wanted to see U.S. support to Ukraine increased.”
7:30 P.M. — Morrison: “I did not understand [investigating the Biden family] as a policy objective.”
7:26 P.M. — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is now questioning the witnesses.
Volker and Morrison both say they have no evidence of quid pro quo, bribery or treason https://t.co/xHzl0V73EQ pic.twitter.com/7eCmuCRRF9
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 20, 2019
7:25 P.M. —
Schiff: “Is it fair to say you have not fixed the ‘Giuliani problem’?”
Volker: “That’s correct”
7:16 P.M. — Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) calls the ongoing effort to remove President Trump the “Impeachmentpalooza 2019” and says Democrats are trying to impeach using “boredom.”
Rep. Chris Stewart jokes that Democrats are trying to compel America to impeach President Trump "through the sheer force of boredom" https://t.co/xHzl0V73EQ pic.twitter.com/h6SBSzwGhf
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 20, 2019
7:14 P.M. —
Speier asked Morrison if he wants to edit his references to Vindman that he made in closed door deposition.
Morrison: No ma'am.
Morrison adds: "Those concerns were noted, they were taken at face value. I formed my own opinions, I took no actions because of someone else."
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 20, 2019
7:11 P.M. — Volker says Giuliani brought Lev Parnas to breakfast with him at the Trump Hotel.
7:10 P.M. — President Trump responds to Rev. Frankin Graham’s comments on impeachment:
I agree, but in the end we will win and save our Country from certain destruction! https://t.co/CPjdxq5hXT
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2019
7:09 P.M. —
Rep. Wenstrup: more than one country could try to influence our elections, yes? Volker: yes. Wenstrup: and it’s only the Intelligence Community that says it was all Russia in 2016 & then he hints that soon proof will come that the IC were out to get Trump too.
— GovTrack.🇺🇸 (@govtrack) November 20, 2019
7:06 P.M. —
.@RepBradWenstrup said Volker's opening statement was "long" and "very well done," praises his service as a diplomat.
— Ben Siegel (@benyc) November 20, 2019
6:58 P.M. — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) praises Volker and Morrison: “You did your job. Here is one of the saddest things: you stepped out of our government because of what these guys are doing.”
6:50 P.M. — “Mostly it seems too dense to explain easily on TV” aka not good for Schiff and the Democrats.
On the whole I’d say Volker and Morrison have given Rs a fair bit to work with today, though Dems extracted a few thing too. Mostly it seems too dense to explain easily on TV.
— Blake News (@blakehounshell) November 19, 2019
6:48 P.M. —
GOP Rep. Mike Conaway asking Schiff for basis of asserting the right to anonymity of the whistleblower, saying that "it is unfair of you" to make accusation they are trying to reveal ID of WBer.
"Your team knows the whistleblower… It is simply leveling the playing field."
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 19, 2019
6:43 P.M. —
Rep Jim Himes (D-CT): “You testified that you were troubled once you read the record of the president’s July 25th call. You call this ‘unacceptable.’ What specifically in that call to the Ukraine president do you find ‘unacceptable?'”
Volker: “It is the reference to Vice President Biden.”
6:40 P.M. — Turner asks Morrison if he believed President Trump demanded Zelensky to probe into the Bidens. “No,” he replies.
6:39 P.M. —
Turner: is Ukraine in Sondland’s portfolio? Volker & Morrison: yes; Volker specifies that EU sanctions make it particularly key for the EU.
— GovTrack.🇺🇸 (@govtrack) November 19, 2019
6:38 P.M. — Key point from Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH):
From Rep. Turner: Sondland says he asked the President what he wanted and that the President said “I want nothing. I want them to do the right thing; no quid pro quo.” Do Morrison and Volker doubt Sondland’s accuracy? They do not.
— GovTrack.🇺🇸 (@govtrack) November 19, 2019
6:31 P.M. — Meadows cuts through the fog about Schiff’s questions:
Chairman Schiff is clearly not getting the answers he wants from Volker and Morrison to close this hearing.
Both continue to be clear: in his conduct, Volker never saw or took part in anything resembling bribery or extortion–and Morrison saw nothing wrong with the 7/25 call.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) November 19, 2019
6:30 P.M. —
Schiff: “My colleagues asked about ‘well, doesn’t aid get held up for all kinds of reasons?’ Ambassador Volker, have you ever seen military aid held up because the president wanted his rival investigated?”
Volker: “No, I have not seen that.”
Morrison: “No, Chairman.”
6:25 P.M. — Volker says Sondland’s remarks about “investigations” during a meeting with the Ukrainians was “an eye roll moment.”
6:23 P.M. —
WATCH: Kurt Volker credits President Trump with strengthening America's policy in support of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/hLK2ZyE5rG
— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 19, 2019
6:19 P.M. — Nunes slams the impeachment process as a “drug deal.”
6:18 P.M. — Nunes objects Schiff to providing giving Democrats and Republicans an additional 15 minutes to have their counsels question Morrison and Volker, mocks the move as a “magical” rule.
Rep. Devin Nunes: "Do you expect any more of these magical 15-minute motions that you come up with in the back?"
Rep. Adam Schiff: "I don't know how magical they are. They're prescribed by House Resolution 660." https://t.co/wJIckfThSv #ImpeachmentHearings pic.twitter.com/OZ9nmHtAlQ
— ABC News (@ABC) November 19, 2019
6:15 P.M. — Morrison says Fiona Hills discussed with him Gordon Sondland. “She might have coined it ‘the Gordon problem,’” he says.
6:05 P.M. —
Update: The Democratic counsel just corrected the record on this and apologized to Volker for the mistake. https://t.co/m8x8rJDjQo
— Tim Hanrahan (@TimJHanrahan) November 19, 2019
5:56 P.M. — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) says today’s hearings have done nothing to damage President Trump’s support among Republicans with respect to impeachment.
.@ChrisChristie to @GStephanopoulos: "I haven't seen anything today that's going to change anybody's opinion."
"Nixon resigned because Republicans abandoned him…We haven't seen anything like that." https://t.co/SfAn7Bnx4h #ImpeachmentHearings pic.twitter.com/3oMEOzM3YU
— ABC News (@ABC) November 19, 2019
5:43 P.M. —
GOP Counsel asking Tim Morrison if Col. Vindman should have come to him about concerns with the 7/25 call before going to an attorney.
Morrison makes it clear: yes, he should've come to him, and it was not proper procedure that he didn't.
This is a problem for Democrats.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) November 19, 2019
5:42 P.M. — The hearing is now in recess.
5:40 P.M. — Morrison says Vindman was upset he was cut out from some matters regarding Ukraine.
5:39 P.M. — Morrison says that he had concerns that Vindman leaked information to the media.
5:38 P.M. — Morrison’s attorney interjects, says her client should not answer questions about Vindman’s judgement, claiming it falls outside the scope relevant time period.
5:37 P.M. — Morrison says Fiona Hill conveyed to him that she had concerns about Vindman’s judgment. Morrison also states he would have preferred that Vindman went to him first, instead of going to the NSC lawyers, about the Trump-Zelensky call.
5:35 P.M. —
Morrison said he viewed the transcript from the @POTUS/ Zelensky as “complete and accurate.”
Said he doesn’t remember the request from Vindman to swap “company” for “Burisma.” Doesn’t recall him raising concerns about accuracy of the transcript but he had some about the call.
— Christina Ruffini (@EenaRuffini) November 19, 2019
5:32 P.M. — Morrison says there was no malicious intent in placing the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call into a secret server.
5:30 P.M. — Morrison says nothing about the Trump-Zelensky call concerned him.
5:26 P.M. — Volker affirms none of his actions amounted to quid pro quo, bribery or extortion.
5:25 P.M. —
Volker says he doesn’t recall Zelenskyy being upset after the July 25 call. Nor does he recall any concerns brought to him about the call from anyone else.
— GovTrack.🇺🇸 (@govtrack) November 19, 2019
5:24 P.M. — Volker says “I was never involved in anything that I considered to be bribery at all.”
5:21 P.M. — Volker says when he spoke to Zelensky, he mentioned corruption in general, rather than specifically discussing the Biden family or Burisma.
5:18 P.M. —
Volker agrees, credits Trump for strengthened US Ukraine policyhttps://t.co/SqV9ZmH84C pic.twitter.com/9iNsBDzsnk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 19, 2019
5:17 P.M. — Volker on when he first learned about the hold on Ukraine’s security aid on July 18th: “I thought this was a bad decision or a bad hold. I wanted to make sure all the arguments were marshaled to get it lifted.”
5:14 P.M. —
Goldman: “What did [Sondland] tell you that he told [Yermak]?”
Morrison: “The Ukrainians would have to have the prosecutor general make a statement with respect to the investigations as a condition of having the aid lifted.”
5:07 P.M. — Volker agrees that it’s a “reasonable position,” for President Trump to be skeptical about Ukraine.
5:00 P.M. — Very important answers from Volker and Morrison:
Rep. Devin Nunes: "Did anyone ever ask you to bribe or extort anyone at anytime during your time in the White House?"
National Security Council official Tim Morrison: "No, sir."
Former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker: "No, sir." https://t.co/QfMpJlStvo pic.twitter.com/H8j4qNDiXB
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 19, 2019
4:49 P.M. — Morrison states that U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland conveyed to him after the 9/1 conversation with the Ukrainian aide Yermak that “the Ukrainians would have to have the prosecutor general make a statement with respect to the investigations as a condition of having the aid released.”
4:46 P.M. —
HPSCI counsel: "Why was that Oval Office meeting so important to Pres. Zelensky?"
Volker: "I think he felt he was not well understood by Pres. Trump. He is a charismatic leader who ran a remarkable campaign in Ukraine against the legacy of corruption." https://t.co/J4jAYidyMK pic.twitter.com/5KpeiATzO7— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) November 19, 2019
4:35 P.M. —
Morrison on the Trump-Zelensky call: “I recommended we restrict access to the package.”
Goldman: “Had you ever asked the NSC legal adviser to restrict access before?”
Morrison: “No.”
4:30 P.M. — Asked whether he took the president saying he should talk to Guiliani about Ukraine as a directive, Volker responds he understood it as something that “seemed to be part of the dialogue.”
4:27 P.M. — Volker on the Trump-Zelensky July 25 call: “I don’t think that raising the 2016 election or Vice President Biden or these things that I consider to be conspiracy theories circulated by the Ukrainians — they’re not things we should be pursuing as our national security strategy with Ukraine.”
4:26 P.M. — Morrison described the “irregular channel” as a “parallel process” regarding Ukraine.
4:25 P.M. — Morrison says President Trump’s references to the Bidens and Crowdstrike during his call with Zelensky weren’t part of his talking points put together by the NSC.
4:23 P.M. — Biggs weighs in on Volker’s remarks regarding Hunter Biden and Burisma:
Volker thinks that the Burisma investigation was necessary & unremarkable. Hunter Biden was on the board of that corrupt company. He doesn’t seem to have a problem w/ an investigation into Burisma, including presumably Hunter Biden’s role on that board.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 19, 2019
Volker was pushing for Ukraine to let President Zelensky assure President Trump that Ukraine will get to the bottom of Ukrainian corruption, including in the 2016 election.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 19, 2019
4:18 P.M. — Democrat general counsel Daniel Goldman asks Volker if he knew about the relationship between Hunter Biden and Burisma. “I knew he had been a board member of the company, yes,” Volker replies, before adding he believed the distinction between the two was so important.
4:17 P.M. —
KURT VOLKER on July 10 White House meeting with Ukrainians:
"The meeting was essentially over when SONDLAND made a general comment about investigations. I think all of us thought it was inappropriate … I do not recall further discussion regarding investigations or Burisma." pic.twitter.com/gaUCcikSFj
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) November 19, 2019
4:16 P.M. —
Volker says he was "trying to thread a needle," to get Ukraine to investigate Burisma but not make it about Biden. But… the president is the one who wanted Burisma to = Biden. "I would have objected to that," Volker says, referring to if Trump asked him to push for that.
— Domenico Montanaro (@DomenicoNPR) November 19, 2019
4:12 P.M. — Volker: “Mayor Giuliani raised, and I rejected, the conspiracy theory that Vice President Biden would have been influenced in his duties as Vice President by money paid to his son.”
4:10 P.M. — Schiff starts with questions for Volker by asking why he believed former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko had credibility issues.
4:07 P.M. — Volker calls Biden an “honorable man” and says he holds him in the “highest regard.”
4:06 P.M. —
In his opening statement Volker is offering new information aimed at distancing himself from any connection to pushing for an investigation into the Bidens.
— Daniel Bush (@DanielBush) November 19, 2019
4:03 P.M. — Volker: “As a professional diplomat, I was comfortable exploring whether there was a statement Ukraine could make about its own intentions to investigate possible corruption that would be helpful in convincing Mr. Giuliani to convey to President Trump a more positive assessment”
4:02 P.M. —
Volker statement says that at the time he drew "a sharp distinction" between investigating Burisma (fine) and investigating Biden ("unacceptable").
But says, "In retrospect, I should have seen that connection differently." pic.twitter.com/nRuCTTgoUs
— Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) November 19, 2019
3:55 P.M. — Volker says President Trump held a “deeply rooted negative view on Ukraine” due to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
3:53 P.M. — Volker says the “three amigos” term makes him “cringe” and associates it with the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT).
3:52 P.M. —
Former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker delivers opening statement: "At no time was I aware of or knowingly took part in any effort to urge Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Biden." https://t.co/pnp7rcYYtZ pic.twitter.com/AvrhICNUWB
— Deena Zeina Zaru 👩🏻💻 (@Deena_Zaru) November 19, 2019
3:51 P.M. — Volker: “My work was not part of some irregular channel, but the official channel.
3:50 P.M. — Volker describes Ukraine as “the cradle of Slavic civilization, predating Moscow.”
3:49 P.M. — Volker: “For over two years, as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, my singular focus was advancing the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States. In particular, that meant pushing back on Russian aggression.”
3:48 P.M. — Volker: “I am here today voluntarily, and I remain committed to cooperating fully and truthfully with this Committee. All I can do is provide the facts as I understood them at the time.”
3:46 P.M. —
Timothy Morrison told us in his deposition he was worried the Trump/Zelensky phone call would be leaked from the inside and used by Washington, D.C. insiders for nefarious, unfair political purposes.
Mr. Morrison was absolutely right.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) November 19, 2019
3:47 P.M. — Morrison: “As I stared during my deposition, I feared at the time of the call on July 25, how its disclosure would play in Washington. My fears have been realized.”
WATCH: "I feared at the time of the call on July 25 how its disclosure would play in Washington's political climate," Tim Morrison, a former White House official who served on the National Security Council, says. "My fears have been realized." #ImpeachmentPBS pic.twitter.com/NZQ2tcESZa
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) November 19, 2019
3:46 P.M. — Morrison: “The United States aids Ukraine and her people so they can fight Russia over there and we don’t have to fight Russia here.”
3:45 P.M. —
Morrison said he doesnt know who the whistleblower is and doesn't want to question the integrity of his nsc colleagues
— Alana Abramson (@aabramson) November 19, 2019
3:44 P.M. — Morrison: “I left the NSC completely of my own volition. I felt no pressure to resign nor have I feared any retaliation for my testimony.”
3:43 P.M. — Volker and Morrison are being sworn in.
WATCH: Kurt Volker, Tim Morrison sworn in ahead of testimony before House Intelligence Committee in public impeachment hearings https://t.co/J4jAYidyMK pic.twitter.com/z9Vkt9eJMy
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) November 19, 2019
3:40 P.M. — Read Nunes’s full opening statement below:
Nunes opening statement for 2nd panel of impeachment hearings: https://t.co/G3s4TBh5Zn
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 19, 2019
3:37 P.M. — Nunes: “It’s obvious the Democrats are trying to topple the president solely because they despise him.”
3:35 P.M. — Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) calls today’s hearings “act two of today’s circus” in his opening statement.
3:34 P.M. — Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) mocks Schiff’s opening statement:
Adam Schiff’s fairy tale opening here for the Volker/Morrison hearing is yet another parody, connecting dots not connected, and making up facts. He feels that as long as what he states is only partially true then he’s good to go for story time.♂️ ♀️
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) November 19, 2019
3:33 P.M. —
Schiff: When Joe Biden was considering whether to enter the race for the Presidency in 2020, the President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, began a campaign to weaken Vice President Biden’s candidacy by pushing Ukraine to investigate him and his son.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 19, 2019
3:30 P.M. — Republican Reps. Mark Meadows (NC), Matt Gaetz (FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and others are in the house.
And we’re off with the second impeachment hearing of the day – with the 3rd and 4th witnesses of the day.
If you weren’t trying to ram these proceedings through to achieve an intended result (as Democrats falsely claim they’re not), wouldn’t you take things a bit more slowly? pic.twitter.com/27HApFKbuQ
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 19, 2019
3:26 P.M. —Schiff gavels this afternoon’s hearings into order and begins his opening statement:
HEARINGS RESUME: Adam Schiff begins the second impeachment hearing of the day, with testimony from Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison https://t.co/xHzl0V73EQ pic.twitter.com/gEnLlw8TFQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 19, 2019
3:13 P.M. —
Bill Taylor/George Kent: Never met POTUS, weren't on the 7/25 call
Yovanovitch: “I cannot bring any firsthand knowledge to… the phone call or delay of aid.”
Vindman: "I've never had any contact with POTUS"
This is the testimony Democrats are relying on for impeachment.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) November 19, 2019
2:51 P.M. — Scene from inside the hearing room ahead of Volker and Morrison’s testimony:
The second impeachment inquiry hearing of the day is going to start fairly soon.
It will feature Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison.
Here’s a look inside the hearing room pic.twitter.com/9iLCe8657U— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) November 19, 2019
and here’s the bench where we’ll hear from Volker and Morrison pic.twitter.com/CGNsqBF0Ga
— Alex Thomas (@AlexThomasDC) November 19, 2019
2:43 P.M. — The Hill reports: “Opposition by independents to the House’s ongoing impeachment inquiry jumped 10 percentage points in the last week, according to a Politico–Morning Consult poll released Tuesday.”
2:42 P.M. — Even CNN is on to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) moving of the goalpost on impeachment:
CNN’s Bash: quid pro quo didn’t “cut it”, so Pelosi made “political shift” to briberyhttps://t.co/p5LoUI8lRa pic.twitter.com/9CZjVFI6BT
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 19, 2019
2:40 P.M. — The cause of the delay:
House now voting on interim spending bill to avoid government shutdown. Would fund the government through December 20. The current, stopgap spending bill, expires at 11:59:59 pm et Thursday.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 19, 2019
2:37 P.M. — This afternoon’s hearing is delayed, could begin around 3:15, according to Fox News.
Colleague Gillian Turner says the second panel with Volker/Morrison could start around 3:15 pm et
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 19, 2019
2:06 P.M. — Volker is on the Hill for his testimony.
Former US Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker is arriving now on Capitol Hill.
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) November 19, 2019
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