WE’LL INSIST ON DECORUM IN THE COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. I’LL TAKE ALL PROPER STEPS TO
MAKE SURE THE COMMITTEE IS
OPERATING UNDER HOUSE RULES 660.
WITH THAT I GIVE MY STATEMENT
INTO THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY OF
DONALD J. TRUMP, THE 44th
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
IN 2014, RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE.
TO EMBRACE THE WISH OF THE WEST
AND TO REBUILD PINT’SUTIN’S DESI
FOR A RUSSIAN EMPIRE.
44 PEOPLE DIED AS THEY BATTLED
RUSSIAN FORCES.
RUSSIAN FORCES. PRESIDENT ZELENSKY WAS ELECTED
PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE TO END THE
CONFLICT AND TACKLE CORRUPTION.
HE WAS A NEWCOMER TO POLITICS
AND IMMEDIATELY SOUGHT TO
ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH
UKRAINE’S MOST POWERFUL PATRON,
THE UNITED STATES.
THE QUESTIONS PRESENTED BY THIS
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY ARE WHETHER
PRESIDENT TRUMP SOUGHT TO
EXPLOIT THAT ALLY’S
VULNERABILITY AND INVITE
UKRAINE’S INTERFERENCE IN OUR
ELECTIONS, WHETHER PRESIDENT
TRUMP SOUGHT OFFICIAL ACTS SUCH
AS A WHITE HOUSE MEETING ON
UKRAINE’S WILLINGNESS TO AS IN
TWO POLITICAL INVESTIGATIONS
THAT WOULD HELP HIS REELECTION
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. AND IF PRESIDENT TRUMP DID
EITHER, WHAT IS SUCH AN ABUSE OF
HIS POWER IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY.
THE MATTER IS AS SIMPLE AND AS
TERRIBLE AS THAT.
OUR ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS
WILL AFFECT NOT ONLY THE FUTURE
OF THIS PRESIDENCY BUT THE
FUTURE OF THE PRESIDENCY ITSELF
AND WHAT KIND OF CONDUCT OR
MISCONDUCT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
CAN COME TO EXPECT OF THEIR
COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
THERE ARE FEW ACTIONS AS
CONSEQUENTIAL AS THE IMPEACHMENT
OF A PRESIDENT.
WHILE THE FOUNDERS DID NOT
INTEND THAT IMPEACHMENT BE
EMPLOYED FOR MERE DIMPSFFERENCES
OVER POLICY, THEY ALSO MADE THE
CONSTITUTION A CONSTITUTIONAL
PROCESS THAT THE CONGRESS MUST
UTILIZE AS NECESSARY.
THE FACTS IN THE INQUIRY ARE NOT
SEVERELY CONTESTED.
SEVERELY CONTESTED. BEGINNING IN JANUARY OF THIS
YEAR, THE PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL
ATTORNEY RUDY GIULIANI CONVINCED
HIM TO INVESTIGATE BURISMA AND
THE BIDENS, SINCE VICE PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN WAS SEEN AS A STRONG
PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGER TO
TRUMP.
TRUMP. GIULIANI ALSO PROMOTED A
DEBUNKED THEORY THAT IT WAS
UKRAINE, NOT RUSSIA, THAT’S
INTERFERED IN OUR ELECTION.
IT’S BEEN PROVEN THAT RUSSIA,
NOT UKRAINE, INTERFERED IN OUR
ELECTION.
ELECTION. BUT RUDY GIULIANI CONSIDERED
THIS AS AN AID TO THE
PRESIDENT’S REELECTION.
PRESIDENT’S REELECTION. RUDY GIULIANI ALSO SMEARED THE
EMPLOYMENT OF MARIE YAVONOVITCH.
HE TOLD HER ALTHOUGH SHE HAD
DONE NOTHING WRONG, THE
PRESIDENT HAD LOST CONFIDENCE IN
HER.
HER. THE STAGE WAS SET FOR AN
IRREGULAR CHANNEL IN WHICH
GIULIANI AND OTHERS, INCLUDING
GORDON SONDLAND, A DONOR TO THE
PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION, COULD
ADVANCE THE PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL
AND POLITICAL INTERESTS.
YAVONOVITCH’S REPLACEMENT IN
KIEV IN AMBASSADOR BILL TAYLOR
IS A WEST POINT GRADUATE AND A
VIETNAM VETERAN.
VIETNAM VETERAN. AS HE BEGAN TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
THE SCHEME THROUGH THE SUMMER OF
2019, HE PUSHED BACK, INFORMING
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY KENT
AND OTHERS ABOUT A PLAN TO
CONDITION U.S. GOVERNMENT
ACTIONS AND FUNDING ON THE
PERFORMANCE OF POLITICAL FAVORS
BY THE UKRANIAN GOVERNMENT,
FAVORS INTENDED FOR PRESIDENT
TRUMP THAT WOULD UNDERMINE OUR
SECURITY AND OUR ELECTIONS.
SEVERAL KEY EVENTS IN THIS
SCHEME TOOK PLACE IN THE MONTH
OF JULY.
OF JULY. ON JULY 10, AMBASSADOR SONDLAND
INFORMED A GROUP OF U.S. AND
UKRANIAN OFFICIALS MEETING AT
THE WHITE HOUSE THAT ACCORDING
TO CHIEF OF STAFF MICK MULVANEY,
A WHITE HOUSE MEETING
DESPERATELY SOUGHT WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD ONLY
HAPPEN IF UKRAINE STARTED AN
INVESTIGATION WITH THE ENERGY
SECTOR, WHICH WAS MEANT TO MEAN
BURISMA AND THE BIDENS.
AMBASSADOR VOLKER ENDED THE
MEETING AND SAID HE WOULD NOT
BE, QUOTE, PART OF THE DRUG DEAL
SONDLAND AND MULVANEY ARE
COOKING UP ON THIS, END QUOTE.
A WEEK LATER, ON JULY 18th, A
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OFFICE OF
MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, THE WHITE
HOUSE AGENCY THAT OVERSEES
FEDERAL SPENDING, ANNOUNCED ON A
VIDEO CONFERENCE THAT MULVANEY,
AT THE DIRECTION OF THE
PRESIDENT, WAS FREEZING NEARLY
$400 MILLION IN SECURITY
ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED AND
APPROPRIATED BY CONGRESS IN
WHICH THE ENTIRETY OF THE U.S.
NATIONAL SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT
SUPPORTED.
SUPPORTED. ONE WEEK AFTER THAT, DONALD
TRUMP WOULD HAVE THE NOW
INFAMOUS JULY 25th PHONE CALL
WITH UKRANIAN PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY.
ZELENSKY. DURING THAT CALL, TRUMP
COMPLAINED THAT THE U.S.
RELATIONSHIP WITH UKRAINE HAD
NOT BEEN RECIPROCAL.
LATER ZELENSKY THANKS TRUMP FOR
HIS SUPPORT IN THE AREA OF
DEFENSE AND SAYS UKRAINE IS
READY TO PURCHASE MORE JAVELINS,
AN ANTI-TANK WEAPON THAT WAS OF
MORE DETERRENCE IN MILITARY
ACTION.
ACTION. TRUMP SAID, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO
DO US A FAVOR, THOUGH.
TRUMP THEN SUGGESTED THAT
UKRAINE INVESTIGATE THE 2016
ELECTION THEORY AND LOOK INTO
THE BIDENS.
THE BIDENS. NEITHER OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS
WAS IN THE U.S. NATIONAL
INTEREST.
INTEREST. AND NEITHER WAS PART OF THE
OFFICIAL PREPARATORY MATERIAL
FOR THE CALL.
BOTH, HOWEVER, WERE IN DONALD
TRUMP’S PERSONAL INTEREST AND IN
THE INTERESTS OF HIS 2020
REELECTION CAMPAIGN.
REELECTION CAMPAIGN. AND THE UKRANIAN PRESIDENT KNEW
ABOUT BOTH IN ADVANCE BECAUSE
SONDLAND AND OTHERS HAD BEEN
PRESSING UKRAINE FOR WEEKS ABOUT
INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE 2016
ELECTION, BURISMA AND THE
BIDENS.
BIDENS. AFTER THE CALL, MULTIPLE
INDIVIDUALS WERE CONCERNED
ENOUGH TO REPORT IT TO THE
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL’S TOP
LAWYER.
LAWYER. THE WHITE HOUSE WOULD THEN TAKE
THE EXTRAORDINARY STEP OF MOVING
THE CALL RECORD TO A HIGHLY
CLASSIFIED SERVER EXCLUSIVELY
RESERVED FOR THE MOST SENSITIVE
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS.
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS. IN THE WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED,
AMBASSADOR TAYLOR LEARNED NEW
FACTS ABOUT A SCHEME THAT
SONDLAND, EVEN SONDLAND WOULD
DESCRIBE AS BECOMING MORE
INSIDIOUS.
INSIDIOUS. TAYLOR TEXTED SONDLAND, QUOTE,
ARE WE NOW SAYING SECURITY
ASSISTANCE AND WHITE HOUSE
MEETING ARE CONDITIONED ON
INVESTIGATIONS?
INVESTIGATIONS? AS SUMMER TURNED TO FALL, IT
KEPT GETTING MORE INSIDIOUS, MR.
SONDLAND TESTIFIED.
SONDLAND TESTIFIED. MR. TAYLOR, WHO TOOK NOTES OF
HIS CONVERSATIONS, SAID
AMBASSADOR TOLD HIM IN A
SEPTEMBER 1st PHONE CALL THAT
EVERYTHING WAS DEPENDENT ON THE
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF
INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING
INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING SECURITY ASSISTANCE.
SECURITY ASSISTANCE. PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTED MR.
ZELENSKY IN A PUBLIC BOX.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A
BUSINESSMAN, SONDLAND SAID
LATER.
LATER. WHEN A BUSINESSMAN IS ABOUT TO
SIGN A CHECK TO SOMEONE WHO OWES
HIM SOMETHING, THE BUSINESSMAN
ASKS THAT PERSON TO PAY UP
BEFORE SIGNING THE CHECK.
IN A SWORN DECLARATION AFTER
TAYLOR’S TESTIMONY, SONDLAND
WOULD ADMIT TO TELLING UKRANIANS
AT A SEPTEMBER 1st MEETING IN
WARSAW, QUOTE, THE PRESUMPTION
OF U.S. AID WOULD LIKELY NOT
OCCUR UNTIL UKRAINE PROVIDED THE
ANTI-CORRUPTION STATEMENT WE
EVER BEEN DISCUSSING FOR MANY
WEEKS.
WEEKS. THE PRESIDENT’S CHIEF OF STAFF
CONFIRMED TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO
COERCE UKRAINE BY WITHHOLDING
AID.
AID. WHEN MICK MULVANEY WAS ASKED
PUBLICLY ABOUT IT, HIS ANSWER
WAS BREATHTAKING.
WAS BREATHTAKING. WE DO THAT ALL THE TIME WITH
FOREIGN POLICY, HE SAID.
I HAVE NEWS FOR EVERYBODY.
GET OVER IT.
THERE’S GOING TO BE POLITICAL
INFLUENCE IN FOREIGN POLICY.
THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
THE VIDEO OF THAT CONFESSION IS
PLAIN FOR ALL TO SEE.
SOME HAVE ARGUED IN THE
PRESIDENT’S DEFENSE THAT THE AID
WAS ULTIMATELY RELEASED, AND
THAT IS TRUE.
BUT ONLY AFTER CONGRESS BEGAN AN
INVESTIGATION, ONLY AFTER THE
PRESIDENT’S LAWYERS LEARNED OF A
WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT, AND
ONLY AFTER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
BEGAN ASKING UNCOMFORTABLE
QUESTIONS ABOUT QUID PRO QUOS.
A SCHEME TO CONDITION OFFICIAL
ACTS OR TAXPAYER FUNDING TO
OBTAIN A PERSONAL POLITICAL
BENEFIT DOES NOT BECOME LESS
ODIOUS BECAUSE IT IS DISCOVERED
BEFORE IT IS FULLY CONSUMMATED.
IN FACT, THE SECURITY ASSISTANCE
HAD BEEN DELAYED FOR SO LONG, IT
WOULD TAKE ANOTHER ACT OF
CONGRESS TO ENSURE THAT IT COULD
STILL GO OUT.
AND THAT OTHER OVAL OFFICE
MEETING ZELENSKY DESPERATELY
SOUGHT, IT STILL HASN’T
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE LEARNED A GREAT
DEAL ABOUT THESE EVENTS IN THE
PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THERE ARE
STILL MISSING PIECES.
THE PRESIDENT HAS INSTRUCTED THE
STATE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER
AGENCIES TO IGNORE CONGRESSIONAL
SUBPOENAS FOR DOCUMENTS.
HE HAS INSTRUCTED WITNESSES TO
DEFY SUBPOENAS AND REFUSE TO
APPEAR.
APPEAR. AND HE HAS SUGGESTED THAT THOSE
WHO DO EXPOSE WRONGDOING SHOULD
BE TREATED LIKE TRAITORS AND
SPIES.
SPIES. THESE ACTIONS WILL FORCE
CONGRESS TO CONSIDER, AS IT DID
WITH PRESIDENT NIXON, WHETHER
TRUMP’S OBSTRUCTION OF THE
CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES OF
CONGRESS CONSTITUTE ADDITIONAL
GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT.
IF THE PRESIDENT CAN SIMPLY
REFUSE ALL OVERSIGHT,
PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF
AN IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING, THE
BALANCE OF POWER BETWEEN OUR TWO
BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT WILL BE
IR RE
IR RE IRREVOKABLELY ALTERED.
IRREVOKABLELY ALTERED. THAT IS NOT WHAT THE FOUNDERS
INTENDED.
INTENDED. AND THE PROSPECTS FOR FURTHER
CORRUPTION AND ABUSE OF POWER IN
THIS ADMINISTRATION OR ANY OTHER
WILL BE EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED.
THIS IS WHAT WE BELIEVE THE
TESTIMONY WILL SHOW.
BOTH AS TO THE PRESIDENT’S
CONDUCT AND AS TO HIS
OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS, THE
ISSUE THAT WE CONFRONT IS THE
ONE POSED BY THE PRESIDENT’S
ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF WHEN HE
CHALLENGED AMERICANS TO "GET
OVER IT."
OVER IT." IF WE FIND THAT THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES ABUSED HIS
POWER AND INVITED FOREIGN
INTERFERENCE INTO OUR ELECTIONS,
OR IF HE SOUGHT TO CONDITION,
COERCE, EXTORT OR BRIBE AN ALLY
INTO CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS
TO AID HIS REELECTION CAMPAIGN
AND DID SO BY WITHHOLDING
OFFICIAL ACTS, A WHITE HOUSE
MEETING OR HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS OF NEEDED MILITARY
AID, MUST WE SIMPLY "GET OVER
IT"?
IT"? IS THIS WHAT AMERICANS SHOULD
NOW EXPECT FROM THEIR PRESIDENT?
IF THIS IS NOT IMPEACHABLE
CONDUCT, WHAT IS?
DOES THE OATH OF OFFICE ITSELF,
REQUIRING THAT OUR LAWS BE
FAITHFULLY EXECUTED, THAT OUR
PRESIDENT DEFEND A CONSTITUTION
THAT BALANCES THE POWERS OF ITS
BRANCHES, SETTING AMBITION
AGAINST AMBITION SO WE BECOME NO
MONARCHY, STILL HAVE MEANING?
THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE MUST
ASK AND ANSWER.
WITHOUT RANCOR IF WE CAN,
WITHOUT DELAY REGARDLESS, AND
WITHOUT PARTY FAVOR AND WITHOUT
PREJUDICE IF WE ARE TRUE TO OUR
RESPONSIBILITIES.
RESPONSIBILITIES. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS ASKED WHAT
KIND OF A COUNTRY AMERICA WAS TO
BECOME.
BECOME. A REPUBLICAN, HE ANSWERED, IF