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Alexander Vindman: ‘heroic’ witness who Trump will struggle to dismiss Key witnesses tell of concern over Trump's 'inappropriate' Ukraine call
(about 2 hours later)
Decorated Iraq war veteran is the marquee witness on Tuesday, with Jennifer Williams, Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison Alexander Vindman and Jennifer Williams testify publicly and describe how Trump, in July call, demanded an investigation tied to Joe Biden
When Lt Col Alexander Vindman first spoke privately to Congress last month, Donald Trump baselessly attacked him as a “Never Trumper” and questioned what business Vindman had listening in on presidential phone calls. Two witnesses in the impeachment inquiry have described their concern over an “unusual” call between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president in July, in which Trump ignored official talking points about fighting corruption to instead “demand” an investigation tied to Joe Biden.
But as Vindman began to testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, in public and nationally televised impeachment hearings, it seemed Trump might find the decorated Iraq war veteran and director of European affairs on the national security council much more difficult to dismiss. “What I heard was inappropriate and I reported it,” said Lt Col Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine adviser on the National Security Council. “I did so out of a sense of duty.”
Vindman was the marquee witness in a blockbuster day. Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice-president Mike Pence, sat next to him. Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a senior national security council (NSC) official, were to follow in the afternoon. Vindman and Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy adviser to vice-president Mike Pence, became the first public witnesses to offer a direct description of the 25 July call in which Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a political “favor”.
All four were previously deposed in closed-door meetings with the House intelligence committee, which is leading the investigation of whether Trump abused the power of his office by soliciting foreign interference from Ukraine in the 2020 US election. “It was improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigation of a US citizen and a political opponent,” Vindman said.
Trump has denied wrongdoing but his war on the three career public servants called to testify last week has not been taken up by Republicans in the hearing room and has threatened to backfire, drawing accusations of witness intimidation. The House intelligence committee questioned the pair at the opening of a blockbuster week in which nine witnesses are expected to testify about the suspension last summer of US military aid for Ukraine and Trump administration attempts to get Zelenskiy to announce political investigations.
Trump has said the request for investigations sprang from a desire to address corruption in Ukraine. That excuse was eroded badly on Tuesday, as Vindman testified that in the July phone call with Zelenskiy and an earlier call, Trump ignored talking points steering him to bring up anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.
“The president can choose to use the talking points or not, he’s the president,” Vindman said. But what Trump spoke about instead on the second call – investigations of Biden and the gas company Burisma – sparked Vindman to action.
“Without hesitation, I knew that I had to report this to the White House counsel,” he said. “I had concerns and it was my duty to report my concerns to the proper people in the chain of command.”
Republicans have argued that the Trump administration never directly tied military aid or the prospect of a White House visit to the announcement of investigations. But Vindman also provided the first public testimony on Tuesday about a scene in which Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, did just that.
National security adviser John Bolton cut short a 10 July White House meeting with Ukrainian officials that Vindman also attended, he said, “when Sondland started to speak about delivery of investigations”.
Sondland continued to press the request for investigations of “2016 elections, Biden and Burisma” in a second meeting, Vindman said.
“I stated to Ambassador Sondland that this was inappropriate and had nothing to do with national security,” he said.
Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a senior national security council (NSC) official, were scheduled to testify in the afternoon. All four were previously deposed in closed-door meetings with the House intelligence committee, which is leading the investigation of whether Trump abused the power of his office by soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 US election.
Trump has denied wrongdoing but his war on three career public servants called to testify last week has drawn accusations of witness intimidation.
“These last three witnesses are witnesses from heaven, if you’re a prosecutor or the Democrats,” said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney. “And they are witnesses from hell if you’re a Republican or Donald Trump. These are literally heroic people who are intelligent, articulate, sincere – you just don’t get witnesses like that.”“These last three witnesses are witnesses from heaven, if you’re a prosecutor or the Democrats,” said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney. “And they are witnesses from hell if you’re a Republican or Donald Trump. These are literally heroic people who are intelligent, articulate, sincere – you just don’t get witnesses like that.”
The committee continued on Monday to add witnesses to the public schedule, announcing that state department official David Holmes, who said he overheard a phone conversation between the ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, and Trump, would testify on Thursday. The committee continued on Monday to add to the public schedule, announcing that state department official David Holmes, who said he overheard a phone conversation between Sondland and Trump, would testify on Thursday.
Vindman was likely to be the star of Tuesday. An active-duty military officer who emigrated with his family to the US from the former Soviet Union at age three, Vindman appeared in his US army dress uniform, bearing a combat infantry badge and a Purple Heart medal, bestowed when he was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. An active-duty army officer who came to the US from the former Soviet Union at age three, Vindman appeared in his dress uniform, bearing a combat infantry badge and a Purple Heart medal, bestowed when he was wounded in Iraq. In a dramatic opening statement – with his twin brother Yevgeny, who serves on the National Security Council, seated behind him – Vindman said his ability to testify about the president without fear for his life spoke to his father’s wisdom to move the family to America.
“I note that you have shed blood for America, and we owe you an immense debt of gratitude,” said House intelligence chairman Adam Schiff. “Dad, this is proof that you made the right decision 40 years ago,” he said. “Do not worry. I will be fine for telling the truth.”
Representative Devin Nunes, the senior Republican on the committee, used his opening statement to level a broad attack on the media, which he said had brought an anti-Trump bias to its coverage of the Russia investigation and was bringing the same bias to its coverage of impeachment. Steve Castor, a lawyer on the Republican side, seemed to suggest dual loyalty on Vindman’s part, asking about an offer from Ukrainian security chief Oleksandr Danylyuk for Vindman to become Ukraine’s defense minister.
Vindman has told investigators “there was no doubt” about what Trump was demanding from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a 25 July phone call, to which Vindman listened as a top Ukraine expert in the White House. Vindman took his concerns about the call to top NSC lawyers and later discovered an official summary of the call was missing key words, he testified. Vindman declined the offer and reported it internally, he testified, saying: “I’m an American, I came here when I was a toddler, and I immediately dismissed these offers, I did not entertain them.”
Vindman was witness to other key events in the impeachment proceedings, including a 10 July White House meeting in which Sondland pressed Ukrainian officials to announce an investigation tied to Hunter and Joe Biden, according to multiple accounts. Devin Nunes, the senior Republican on the committee, used his opening statement to attack the media. Paul Rosenzweig, a senior fellow at the R Street Institute, who was senior counsel to Kenneth Starr in the Whitewater investigation during the Clinton administration, told the Guardian Republicans had been struggling to mount an effective defense for Trump.
Paul Rosenzweig, a senior fellow at the R Street Institute who was senior counsel to Kenneth Starr in the Whitewater investigation during the Clinton administration, said Republicans have been struggling to mount an effective defense for Trump.
“The factual development is continuing to put the Republicans in a position of defending a difficult set of facts, and they haven’t figured out a way to do that yet,” Rosenzweig said.“The factual development is continuing to put the Republicans in a position of defending a difficult set of facts, and they haven’t figured out a way to do that yet,” Rosenzweig said.
Two of the witnesses scheduled to testify on Tuesday, Volker and Morrison, were on a list of witnesses requested by Republicans and could dispute other testimony. Morrison, who also listened to the July call, testified he did not think it was improper, and he has questioned the decision of Vindman, his subordinate, to report on the call to NSC lawyers. Two of the witnesses scheduled to testify on Tuesday, Volker and Morrison, were requested by Republicans and could dispute other testimony. Morrison, who also listened to the July call, testified he did not think it was improper, and has questioned the decision of Vindman, his subordinate, to report the call to NSC lawyers.
Volker, who was the first key witness to be deposed six weeks ago, could find himself torn between his denial at the time that there was any effort by US officials to urge Ukraine to investigate Biden, and a preponderance of testimony since indicating that there was such an effort and that Volker was one its leaders. Volker, the first key witness to be deposed six weeks ago, could find himself torn between his denial at the time that there was any effort to urge Ukraine to investigate Biden, and a preponderance of testimony since indicating that there was such an effort and that he was one its leaders.
The American public remains receptive to the impeachment proceedings, an ABC News/Ipsos poll published on Sunday indicated. In the poll, 58% of Americans said they were following the hearings very or somewhat closely, and 51% said that “President Trump’s actions were wrong and he should be impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate.”