The House impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump is beginning its first public hearings with Bill Taylor, acting US ambassador to Ukraine, and State Department official George Kent. Both witnesses are delivering joint-testimony to Congress as the president derides the process as a “partisan sham”.
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Watch the first public impeachment hearings live and check out all of The Independent's live news and analysis below:
Adam Schiff has concluded this portion of the hearing. The impeachment witnesses have left and the House is taking a brief recess before taking up a motion to revert to closed-door proceedings that was raised earlier by a Republican member.
Florida Democrat Val Demings has tweeted out a moment from her line of questioning:
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff is thanking impeachment witnesses William Taylor and George Kent for attempting "to stay out of the fray" by delivering evidence on what they heard "without offering additional commentary".
"The story that you have shared today in your experiences ... is a troubling one," Mr Schiff says.
He says the committee was informed on 9 September that a whistleblower complaint was withheld from Congress but delivered to the White House.
"It was less than 48 hours later that the military aid would be released."
Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi notes that William Taylor used the term "concern" at least 13 times in his opening statement.
"Can you rule out the possibility that these irregular channels of diplomacy are being used in other countries where we conduct foreign policy?" he asks.
Mr Taylor says he does not know of another channel that has "Giuliani guidance".
George Kent also says "some of the language in the call was a cause for concern".
Florida Val Demings asks both impeachment witnesses where Rudy Giuliani was "promoting US national interests or policy in Ukraine".
"I don't think so", William Taylor responds.
"No, he was not", George Kent adds.
The House Foreign Affairs committee has posted the following video from earlier in the impeachment hearing:
Vermont Democrat Peter Welch says he would like Donald Trump to testify before the House committee leading an impeachment inquiry against him:
"I'd be glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify. President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there."
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan is speaking, claiming Donald Trump was evaluating whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in fact "a reformer" before releasing the security assistance.
The new explanation is not supported by any public evidence available.
Washignton Democrat Denny Heck calls the president's actions "an abuse of power" and "unethical" while noting that "anyone looking at the facts can see that what went on was just plain wrong".
Texas Republican John Ratcliffe asks Adam Schiff when House Republicans will get to learn more about the whistleblower. The House chairmen continues the hearing by allowing Washington Democrat Denny Heck to begin his five minutes.
Texas Republican John Ratcliffe is continuing his line of apparent attacks against Marie Yovanovitch, asking the impeachment witnesses why the former ambassador to Ukraine was a witness to the impeachment inquiry as well.
George Kent declined to answer and shot the question back to him by suggesting he ask his Democratic colleagues the question instead.
This is an interesting perspective - Texas Republican Will Hurd may have exposed that Donald Trump's White House had no problem sending security assistance to Ukraine before Joe Biden was set to run for president against him in 2020:
Here's Donald Trump's full remarks from the White House on the impeachment hearings, according to pool reports:
“I’m too buy to watch it. It’s a witch hunt, it’s a hoax, I’m too busy to watch it. So, I’m sure I’ll get a report. There’s nothing — I have not been briefed. There’s nothing there. I see they’re using lawyers that are television lawyers, they took some guys off television. You know. I’m not surprised to see it, because Schiff can’t do his own questions.”
Here are both responses from William Taylor and George Kent about whether they are "Never-Trumpers" -
Mr Kent: "I am a career nonprofessional who serves whatever president is duly elected ... I've done that for 27 years."
Mr Taylor: "No sir."
California Democrat Eric Swalwell is repeating a video from a press briefing with White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney telling reporters "we do this all the time" while speaking of an apparent quid pro quo with Ukraine.
William Taylor says that is not in fact something the US does with its allies. He also says it's "wrong" to participate in these acts, saying it was being done "for no good policy reason".
Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley discusses the fact that both impeachment witnesses were directed not to appear. George Kent says that he was under "legal obligation" to appear once he was issued a subpoena. William Taylor also says he "obeyed a legal subpoena" in delivering evidence to House investigators on Wednesday.
Two quick notes from The Independent's Andrew Feinberg, who is sitting in on the impeachment hearings:
"Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) just smeared President Obama with a ridiculous lie by suggesting that a hot-mic quote about “more flexibility after the election” was about allowing Russia to invade Ukraine. Obama was speaking of “more flexibility” to negotiate an arms control deal, the “New START” treaty."
"Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) just asked if presidential candidates should be immune from investigation, but this is the exact thing Republicans claimed during the Mueller probe when they attacked the FBI for investigating whether the Trump 2016 campaign “colluded” with Russia’s efforts to interfere in the election."
Utah Republican Chris Stewart asks both impeachment witnesses whether corruption in Ukraine is "endemic".
William Taylor responds: "I would say that there is corruption in every country, including ours."
William Taylor says the inspector general in Ukraine is "investigating criminal activity" but that he has not specified any particular investigations.
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