NBC’S DR. BURNS EXPLAINS HOW THEY ARE ALL CONNECTED.
>> IF YOU THOUGHT THERE WERE A
LOT OF NAMES TO KEEP TRACK OF
WHEN THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
FIRST BEGAN IT TURNS OUT THAT
WAS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
THERE ARE NOW DOZENS OF
CHARACTERS INVOLVED AND TO
REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING
ON HERE YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHO
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE. SO WE’LL BREAK THIS THING DOWN
FOR YOU.
FOR YOU. IT ALL STARTS WITH A PHONE CALL
BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKY IN
JULY WHERE HE SEEMS TO PRESS
ZELENSKY TO INVESTIGATE HIS
POTENTIAL 2020 RIVAL JOE BIDEN
AND HIS SON, HUNTER.
TURNS OUT THE PRESIDENT’S
CAMPAIGN WENT BEYOND THE PHONE
CALL AND THE GUY SPEARHEADING IT
WAS TRUMP’S PERSONAL LAWYER RUDY
GUILIANI WHO SAYS HE WON’T
COOPERATE WITH THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY.
INQUIRY. >> I NEVER WANTED IN MY LIFE TO
APPEAR AT A SALEM WITCH TRIAL
WHICH WOULD ACTUALLY BE FAIRER
THAN THIS.
THAN THIS. >> Reporter: GUILIANI WAS
LEADING WITH UKRAINIANS BEHIND
THE SCENES AND GETTING HELP FROM
TWO SOVIET BORN BUSINESSMEN.
THEY WERE RECENTLY ARRESTED FOR
ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO INFLUENCE
U.S. POLITICS WITH ILLEGAL
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. THE INDICTMENT ALSO SAYS THEY
PROMISED CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO AN
UNNAMED CONGRESSMAN.
UNNAMED CONGRESSMAN. WE’VE SINCE LEARNED THIS IS
FORMER TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE PETE
SESSIONS.
SESSIONS. THE TWO WANTED HIS HELP IN
OUSTING THE AMBASSADOR TO
UKRAINE AT THE TIME, MARIE
YOVANOVITCH.
YOVANOVITCH. YOVANOVITCH WAS IN FACT REMOVED
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
SHE RECENTLY TESTIFIED ON THE
HILL.
HILL. A CAREER DIPLOMAT, SHE SAID
PRESIDENT TRUMP PERSONALLY
PRESSURED THE STATE DEPARTMENT
FOR HER OUSTER DESPITE A
DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TELLING HER
SHE HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG.
YOVANOVITCH WAS VOUCHED FOR BY
ANOTHER WITNESS THIS WEEK,
FORMER RUSSIA AND EUROPE ANALYST
FIONA HILL WHO ALSO REPORTEDLY
TOLD CONGRESS THAT HER BOSS AT
THE TIME, FORMER NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER JOHN BOLTIN,
WAS SO DISTURBED BY EFFORTS TO
GET THE UKRAINIANS TO
INVESTIGATE TRUMP’S POLITICAL
OPPONENTS THAT HE CALLED THE
WHOLE THING A DRUG DEAL.
HE ALSO APPARENTLY CALLED
GUILIANI A HAND GRENADE WHO WAS
GOING TO BLOW EVERYBODY UP.
AND DESPITE HAVING NO OFFICIAL
GOVERNMENT ROLE, GUILIANI
CORRESPONDED WITH THE FORMER
UKRAINE ENVOY KURT VOLKER.
HE HAS SINCE RESIGNED AND TURNED
OVER TEXT MESSAGES TO CONGRESS
THAT SEEM TO SUPPORT THE IDEA
TRUMP AND GUILIANI WERE
PRESSURING UKRAINE.
PRESSURING UKRAINE. AHEAD OF TRUMP’S CALL WITH
ZELENSKY VOLKER TEXTED HAD
BREAKFAST WITH RUDY THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. MOST IMPORTANT IS FOR ZELENSKY
TO SAY HE WILL HELP
INVESTIGATION AND ADDRESS ANY
SPECIFIC PERSONNEL ISSUES IF
THERE ARE ANY.
HE WAS EXCHANGING THESE TEXTS
WITH THE EU AMBASSADOR GORDON
SONDLAND WHOSE INVOLVEMENT
STRUCK PEOPLE AS ODD BECAUSE
UKRAINE IS NOT IN THE EU.
SONDLAND ALSO SPOKE TO CONGRESS
IN A CLOSED DOOR SESSION AND
ALLEGED THAT TRUMP DIRECTED HIM
AND OTHER DIPLOMATS TO WORK WITH
GUILIANI ON UKRAINE POLICY.
>> WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU
TO SHOW UP HERE TODAY?
>> IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO SHOW
UP WHEN CONGRESS CALLS.
>> Reporter: SONDLAND WAS ALSO
EXCHANGING TEXTS WITH THE ACTING
AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE BILL
TAYLOR.
TAYLOR. ABOUT A CENTRAL ISSUE IN THIS
WHOLE THING.
WHOLE THING. THE ALLEGATION THAT THE WHITE
HOUSE WAS HOLDING BACK $400
MILLION IN MILITARY AID TO
UKRAINE AS PART OF THE PRESSURE
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. AND THE REVEALED MESSAGES,
TAYLOR TELLS SONDLAND I THINK IT
IS CRAZYO WITHHOLD SECURITY
ASSISTANCE FOR HELP WITH A
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. TAYLOR IS EXPECTED TO TESTIFY
AND HE’LL BE A BIG ONE TO WATCH.
AND NOW TESTIMONY FROM A SENIOR
STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL, AND
UKRAINE EXPERT, GEORGE KENT,
ALSO REVEALED SONDLAND WAS PART
OF THE SO-CALLED THREE AMIGOS
ALONG WITH KURT VOLKER AND
ENERGY SECRETARY RICK PERRY.
AND THERE ARE NOW REPORTS THAT
PERRY TOLD THE PRESIDENT HE’LL
BE STEPPING DOWN FROM HIS
POSITION SOON.
POSITION SOON. GEORGE KENT ALSO TESTIFIED THAT
ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF MICK
MULVANEY TAPPED THE THREE AMIGOS
TO OVERSEE UKRAINE POLICY.
MULVANEY HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE
ON THURSDAY WHERE HE
ACKNOWLEDGED THE WHITE HOUSE DID
HOLD UP THE UKRAINE AID BUT ALSO
ADMITTED THE AID WAS PARTLY HELD
UP UNTIL UKRAINE AGREED TO
INVESTIGATE A BASELESS
CONSPIRACY THEORY ABOUT THE 2016
ELECTION.
ELECTION. >> CLEARLY IT IS QUID PRO QUO,
FUNDING WILL NOT FLOW UNLESS THE
INVESTIGATION INTO THE
DEMOCRATIC SERVER HAPPENED AS
WELL.
WELL. >> WE DO THAT ALL OF THE TIME
WITH FOREIGN POLICY.
I HAVE NEWS FOR EVERYBODY.
GET OVER IT.
THERE’S GOING TO BE POLITICAL
INFLUENCE IN FOREIGN POLICY.
>> Reporter: MULVANEY HAS SINCE
WALKED BACK THOSE COMMENTS.
THE HOUSE SUBPOENAED HIM BUT HE
HASN’T TURNED OVER ANY
DOCUMENTS.
DOCUMENTS. BUT THIS THING IS FAR FROM OVER.
NANCY PELOSI AND HOUSE DEMOCRATS
ARE ISSUING SUBPOENAS AND
CALLING WITNESSES AT A RAPID
PACE.
PACE. OR AS THE PRESIDENT PUTS IT --
>> PAUL RYAN WOULD NEVER REFUSE