APPRECIATE THIS CONGRESSIONAL
ACTION.
THAT CONCLUDES MY OPENING
STATEMENT, BUT BEFORE ANSWERING
YOUR QUESTIONS, THERE IS ONE
OTHER MATTER I WOULD LIKE TO
ADDRESS.
I TESTIFIED IN A DEPOSITION
BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE AND OTHER
COMMITTEES ON OCTOBER 23, 2019.
AT THAT TIME, I WAS ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT I KNEW
ABOUT WHEN THE UKRAINIAN
GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE LEARNED
ABOUT ANY HOLD ON SECURITY
ASSISTANCE FUNDS.
I ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS BASED
ON KNOWLEDGE AT THAT TIME.
SINCE MY DEPOSITION, I HAVE
AGAIN REVIEWED MY CALENDAR AND
THE ONLY MEETING WHERE I RECALL
A UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL RAISING THE
ISSUE WITH ME THIS ON SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 5 AT THE UKRAINIAN
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION.
I HAVE, HOWEVER, SINCE LEARNED
OF SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THE SUBJECT FROM MY STAFF.
PRIOR TO MY DEPOSITION
TESTIMONY, I AVOIDED DISCUSSING
MY TESTIMONY WITH MEMBERS OF MY
STAFF OR ANYONE OTHER THAN MY
ATTORNEY TO ENSURE THAT MY
DEPOSITION TESTIMONY WAS BASED
ONLY ON MY PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE.
MY DEPOSITION TESTIMONY WAS
PUBLICLY RELEASED ON
NOVEMBER 11, 2019.
MEMBERS OF MY STAFF READ THE
TESTIMONY AND HAVE COME TO ME
SINCE THEN AND PROVIDED
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
SPECIFICALLY ON THE ISSUE OF
UKRAINE'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLD
OR OF UKRAINE ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT POSSIBLE ISSUES WITH THE
FLOW OF ASSISTANCE, MY STAFF
SHOWED ME TWO UNCLASSIFIED
EMAILS THAT THEY RECEIVED FROM
THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
ONE WAS RECEIVED ON JULY 25 AT
2:31.
THAT EMAIL SAID THAT THE
UKRAINIAN EMBASSY AND HOUSE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ARE
ASKING ABOUT SECURITY
ASSISTANCE.
THE SECOND EMAIL WAS RECEIVED ON
JULY 25 AT 4:25 P.M.
THAT EMAIL SAID THAT THE HILL
KNOWS ABOUT THE SITUATION TO AN
EXTENT AND SO DOES THE UKRAINIAN
EMBASSY.
I DID NOT RECEIVE EITHER OF
THESE EMAILS.
MY STAFF DOES NOT RECALL
INFORMING ME ABOUT THEM AND I
WAS NOT AWARE OF THEIR CONTENT
AT THE TIME.
I DO NOT HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT PRECISELY WHAT
THE UKRAINIANS MAY HAVE SAID,
WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN THEIR SOURCE
OF INFORMATION ABOUT A HOLD OR
ANY POSSIBLE ISSUES WITH THE
FLOW OF ASSISTANCE, OR WITH THE
STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS MAY
HAVE TOLD THEM.
MY STAFF ALSO ADVISED ME THE
LAST FEW DAYS OF THE FOLLOWING
ADDITIONAL FACT THAT MAY BE
RELEVANT TO THIS INQUIRY.
AGAIN, MY STAFF DOES NOT RECALL
INFORMING ME ABOUT THEM AND I DO
NOT RECALL BEING MADE AWARE OF
THEM.
ON JULY 3 AT 4:23 P.M., THEY
RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE
STATE DEPARTMENT STATING THAT
THEY HAD HEARD THAT THE CN IS
BEING BLOCKED BY OMB.
THIS PARTLY REFERS TO THE
CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION STATE
WOULD SEND FOR UKRAINE FMF.
I HAVE NO FURTHER INFORMATION.
ON JULY 25, MEMBER OF MY STAFF
GOT A QUESTION FROM A UKRAINE
EMBASSY CONTACT ASKING WHAT WAS
GOING ON WITH UKRAINE SECURITY
ASSISTANCE.
BECAUSE AT THAT TIME, WE DID NOT
KNOW WHAT THE GUIDANCE WAS ON
USAI.
THE OMB NOTICE OF APPORTIONMENT
ARRIVED THAT DAY BUT THE STAFF
MEMBER DID NOT FIND OUT ABOUT IT
UNTIL LATER.
I WAS INFORMED THAT THE STAFF
MEMBER TOLD THE UKRAINIAN
OFFICIAL THAT WE WERE MOVING
FORWARD ON USAI BUT RECOMMENDED
THAT THE UKRAINE EMBASSY CHECK
IN WITH STATE REGARDING THE FMF.
SOMETIME DURING THE WEEK
OF AUGUST 6-10, AN OFFICER TOLD
A MEMBER OF MY STAFF THAT A
UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL MIGHT RAISE
CONCERNS ABOUT SECURITY
ASSISTANCE IN AN UPCOMING
MEETING.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE
ISSUE WAS NOT RAISED.
I HAVE NO FURTHER INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT CONCERNS ABOUT THE
SECURITY ASSISTANCE UKRAINE MAY
HAVE HAD AT THAT TIME.
MY STAFF RECALL THINKING THAT
UKRAINIANS WERE AWARE OF THE
HOLD ON SECURITY ASSISTANCE
DURING AUGUST BUT THEY CANNOT
PINPOINT ANY SPECIFIC
CONVERSATIONS WHERE IT CAME UP.
I STAFF TOLD ME THEY ARE AWARE
OF ADDITIONAL MEETINGS WHERE
THEY SAW OFFICIALS FROM THE
UKRAINIAN EMBASSY IN AUGUST AND
THEY BELIEVE THAT THE QUESTION
OF THE HOLD CAME UP AT SOME
POINT.
THEY TOLD ME THEY DID NOT FIND
ANY CORRESPONDING EMAIL OR ANY
RECORD OF THOSE MEETINGS.
CONSEQUENTLY NEITHER THEY NOR I
KNEW PRECISELY WHEN OR WHAT
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONS MAY HAVE
OCCURRED WITH THE UKRAINIANS IN
THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
IF I HAVE MORE DETAILS ON THESE
MATTERS, I WOULD OFFER THEM TO
THE COMMITTEE BUT THIS IS THE
EXTENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION