IT AS THE NEW NORM. >> WE’RE GOING TO GET TO THE
MORNING SESSION WITH COLONEL
VINDMAN IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT FIRST THE MOMENT FROM THE
AFTERNOON SESSION WHERE FORMER
U.S. ENVOY TO UKRAINE KURT
VOLKER ATTEMPTED TO CLARIFY
DOZENS OF GLARINGEINGEING DISCRE
UNEARTHED.
UNEARTHED. IN HIS DEPOSITION LAST MONTH
VOLKER CATEGORICALLY DENIED THAT
INVESTIGATIONS WERE DISCUSSED IN
A JULY 10th WHITE HOUSE MEETING
WITH EU AMBASSADOR GORDON
SONDLAND AND UKRAINIAN
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. >> YOU KNOW WHAT WE CALL THAT IN
THE REDNECK RIVIERA?
PERJURY.
PERJURY. IT’S WHAT WE CALL IT IN THE RED
NICK RIF AREAVIERA.
>> THAT STORY CHANGED YESTERDAY.
>> I PARTICIPATED IN THE JULY
10th MEETING BETWEEN NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER BOLTON AND THEN
CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL.
SECURITY COUNCIL. THE MEETING WAS ESSENTIALLY OVER
WHEN AMBASSADOR SONDLAND MADE A
COMMENT ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS.
THE CONVERSATION DID NOT
CONTINUE AND THE MEETING
CONCLUDED.
CONCLUDED. >> WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US ABOUT
THIS?
THIS? >> BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I
REMEMBERED FROM THE MEETING,
WHAT I PROVIDED IN MY OCTOBER
3rd STATEMENT.
3rd STATEMENT. AS I SAID, I LEARNED OTHER
THINGS INCLUDING SEEING THE
STATEMENTS FROM ALEX VINDMAN AND
FIONA HILL AND THAT REMINDED ME,
YES, AT THE VERY END OF THAT
MEETING AS WAS RECOUNTED IN
CORNELL
CORNELL COLONEL VINDMAN’S STATEMENT, I
DID REMEMBER THAT.
GORDON DID BRING THAT UP AND
THAT WAS IT.
IN HINDSIGHT I UNDERSTAND THAT
OTHERS SAW THE IDEA OF
INVESTIGATORS -- AS EQUIVALENT
TO INVESTIGATING FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN.
PRESIDENT BIDEN. I SAW THEM AS VERY DIFFERENT,
THE FORMER BEING APPROPRIATE AND
UNREMARKABLE.
UNREMARKABLE. IN RETROSPECT I SHOULD HAVE SEEN
THAT CONNECTION DIFFERENTLY AND
HAD I DONE SO I WOULD HAVE
RAISED MY OWN OBJECTIONS.
>> I MEAN, COME ON.
THEY WERE THE TEXT MESSAGES THAT
TAYLOR PUT OUT, AND WILLIE, HE’S
LIKE UPON FURTHER REFLECTION,
YES, I THINK WE DID ACTUALLY
ENTER DNC HEADQUARTERS AT THE
WATERGATE, BUT I DIDN’T
REMEMBER.
REMEMBER. >> HE’S TRYING TO SAVE HIMSELF
FROM PERJURY.
FROM PERJURY. HE’S COMING BACK TO REVISE HIS
TESTIMONY.
TESTIMONY. HE HAS TO DO THAT.
THE SAME WAY GORDON SONDLAND DID
THAT.
THAT. THE IDEA THAT HE KNEW THE
INVESTIGATION WAS ABOUT BURISMA
IN HIS OWN MIND MADE NO
CONNECTION TO THAT BEING ALSO
ABOUT JOE BIDEN, NOT KNOWING
THAT HUNTER BIDEN SAT ON THE
BOARD OF BURISMA DEFIES
CREDIBILITY.
CREDIBILITY. WHILE
WHILE WHY WOULD THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES AND RUDY GIULIANI
BE SO FOCUSED ON THIS ONE
COMPANY BURISMA.
COMPANY BURISMA. NOBODY’S BUYING THAT.
>> AND IT’S NOT LIKE BURISMA
HADN’T BEEN A CONCERN EVEN IN
THE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE FOR SOME
TIME.
TIME. IF YOU’RE WORKING UKRAINE,
SOMEBODY SAYS BURISMA, THE BELLS
GO OFF, AND THEY GO, OH, THAT’S
WHERE BIDEN’S SON IS CONNECTED.
SO WHEN VOLKER HEARD BURISMA,
HE’S NOT GOING I THINK I’M GOING
TO HAVE ANOTHER UKRAINIAN
CIGARETTE.
CIGARETTE. AND STAND OUTSIDE AND THINK
ABOUT DAY S LONG PAST.
NO, DING DING DING, YOU’RE
IMMEDIATELY THINKING, OH, MY GOD
THIS COMPANY AGAIN.
IT’S THE ONLY THING, A GUY WITH
AN ADEQUATELY FUNCTIONING MIND
WOULD THINK.
WOULD THINK. >> VOLKER GETS VERY HIGH MARKS
FROM CAREER STATE DEPARTMENT
EMPLOYEES.
EMPLOYEES. HIS FOCUS OF ATTENTION WAS
UKRAINE, SO THE IDEA THAT HE’S
FOCUSED ATTENTION ON UKRAINE AND
EFB
EFB EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT
BURISMA, EVERYBODY’S TALKING
ABOUT RUDY GIULIANI RUNNING HOG
WILD.
WILD. WHEN ADAM SCHIFF ASKED HIM THE
QUESTION, WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US
THAT, THE HONEST ANSWER WOULD BE
BECAUSE REALLY I HAD NO IDEA YOU
WERE GOING TO HAVE ALL THESE
PEOPLE FOLLOW ME IN TESTIMONY.
THAT’S WHY I’M HERE TODAY TO
REFRESH MY TESTIMONY.
>> THE DEMOCRAT’S LEAD COUNSEL
ASKED LIEUTENANT COLONEL
ALEXANDER VINDMAN ABOUT A
SPECIFIC TEXT MESSAGE YESTERDAY
BETWEEN VOLKER AND PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY, THE TEXT MESSAGE
SUGGESTED THE UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN
EXPECTING A CALL FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
TRUMP. TAKE A LOOK.
>> I WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT
SLIDE, IF WE COULD, WHICH IS
ACTUALLY A TEXT MESSAGE THAT
NEITHER OF YOU IS ON, BUT THIS
IS FROM AMBASSADOR KURT VOLKER
TO ANDRE YERMAK.
THIS TEST MESSAGE IS LESS THAN A
HALF HOUR BEFORE THE CALL ON
JULY 25th.
JULY 25th. SINCE NEITHER OF YOU WERE ON IT.
I’LL READ IT, IT SAYS FROM
AMBASSADOR VOLKER, GOOD LUNCH,
THANKS.
THANKS. HEARD FROM WHITE HOUSE.
ASSUMING PRESIDENT Z CONVINCES
TRUMP HE WILL INVESTIGATE,
QUOTE, TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016, WE ARE
NAIL DOWN DATE FOR VISIT TO
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. GOOD LUCK.
GOOD LUCK. SEE YOU TOMORROW, KURT.
>> IS THIS THE SORT OF THING
YOU’RE REFERRING TO WHEN YOU SAY
IT SOUNDS LIKE PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY WAS PREPARED FOR THIS
CALL?
CALL? >> THIS WOULD BE CONSISTENT,
YES.
YES. >> BENJAMIN WITTUS, WE’VE HAD A
LOT OF PEOPLE WHOSE MEMORIES
HAVE BEEN REFRESHED.
KURT VOLKER WAS THE LATEST
YESTERDAY, GORDON SONDLAND’S
WILL LIKELY BE REFRESHED AGAIN
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. I GUESS BETTER TO GET TO THE
TRUTH EVENTUALLY THAN NEVER BUT
WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE FROM THE
TESTIMONY YESTERDAY?
TESTIMONY YESTERDAY? >> WELL, THE INITIAL QUESTION
MERE IS A QUESTION ABOUT THE
CONDUCT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THE ISSUES OF ANY QUESTIONS OF
VORACITY OF THE WITNESSES REALLY
I THINK CAN WAIT UNTIL ANOTHER
DAY.
DAY. RIGHT NOW WHAT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT IS TO GET DOWN ON THE
RECORD IN A SWORN SETTING.
EVERYBODY’S STORY ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED, AND TO THE EXTENT THAT
PEOPLE AREN’T FULLY CANDID TO
GET THEM TO CLARIFY IT AND TELL
THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND THEN THERE
WILL BE OR CAN BE ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR INTENTIONAL DECEIT AT SOME
RAY TER
RAY TER LATER POINT.
LATER POINT. I THINK RIGHT NOW THE FOCUS
REALLY HAS TO BE ON THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. I THOUGHT YESTERDAY WAS A GOOD
DAY IN THAT REGARD.
I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, VINDMAN’S
TESTIMONY WAS ELUCIDATING AND
VERY POWERFUL AS WAS, BY THE
WAY, JENNIFER WILLIAMS’, AND I
THOUGHT IT WAS, YOU KNOW,
VALUABLE TO HEAR FROM MR.
MORRISON AND HIS SOMEWHAT
GENTLER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
THE PRESIDENT HAD DONE, WHICH
WAS STILL IN MY JUDGMENT QUITE
DAMNING AND I THOUGHT VOLKER’S
CLARIFICATIONS WERE SALUTARY,
AND I DON’T THINK ANYBODY WITH
AN OPEN MIND IS IN ANY SERIOUS
DOUBT TODAY OF WHAT HAPPENED ON