The acting ambassador to Ukraine dropped a bombshell Wednesday, testifying to a previously unknown conversation that President Trump had that directly implicated him in the pressure campaign against Ukraine.
The explosive new claim did not come up in Taylor’s closed-door testimony — the ambassador said he’d only heard a staffer’s account of the conversation a few days ago.
Taylor revealed that on July 26, just one day after Trump pressed Ukraine’s president to pursue politically useful investigations, EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland called Trump from a restaurant after meeting with Andrey Yermak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. One of Taylor’s staffers was present at the meeting and the restaurant, and overheard the phone conversation.
The staffer told Taylor that Trump asked Sondland about the status of “the investigations,” Taylor testified in his opening statement.
“The member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone,” Taylor said, “asking Ambassador Sondland about ‘the investigations.’ Ambassador Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward.”
Under questioning later, Taylor affirmed that he understood “the investigations” to mean the investigations Trump wanted Ukraine to announce into the 2016 U.S. elections, the Bidens and Burisma, the natural gas company on whose board Hunter Biden sat.
Taylor testified that he hadn’t heard the story until recently and was “including it here for completeness.”
Following that call, Taylor testified, his staffer asked Sondland what Trump thought about Ukraine, to which Sondland responded that Trump “cares more about the investigations of Biden.”
“I take it the import of that is he cares more about that than he does about Ukraine?” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) asked Taylor Wednesday.
“Yes sir,” Taylor said.
As House Democrats build a case for Trump’s impeachment, the alleged overheard phone call marks yet another indication that Trump was personally interested in pressing Ukraine for politically useful investigations.
Taylor gives new testimony that he learned post-his first deposition on a Trump-Sondland conversation about the sham investigation Trump wanted launched into the Bidens pic.twitter.com/CTbYmqTi49
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 13, 2019
But see? He did it nicely, so…
Looks like another witness will have to be added to the list - the staffer who overheard the phone call. I doubt if Taylor would have brought this up if said staffer is not willing to testify, unless s/he refuses at Trump’s and Pompeo’s direction.
Although, perhaps Sondland will fess up to it, unless he ‘doesn’t recall.’
This should make the Republicans quite happy. They might consider printing up another protest sign.
ETA: From WaPo updates:
The public hearings are underway, but two more officials are set to appear in closed-door depositions later this week, according to an official working on the impeachment inquiry.
David Holmes, the counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, will testify in closed session Friday, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Mark Sandy, the associate director for national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget, will give closed-door testimony Saturday.
Sandy had originally been scheduled to appear on Nov. 8 but did not show up.
News of the depositions came immediately after Taylor testified Wednesday morning that one of his staffers overheard the phone call between Sondland and Trump.
“Well, Mr. Dean, so good of you to join us today.”
But also loudly!
Is it time for the House GOP to storm in with pizza?