>>> CONGRESSMAN SEAN PATRICK MALONEY OF NEW YORK’S 18th
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT ASKED
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALEXANDER
VINDMAN ABOUT HIS OPENING
STATEMENT WHEN COLONEL VINDMAN
TOLD HIS FATHER NOT TO WORRY
ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE’S TELLING
THE TRUTH.
THE TRUTH. >> HE WOULD WORRY IF YOU WERE
PUTTING YOURSELF UP AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
>> HE DEEPLY WORRIED BECAUSE IN
HIS CONTEXT OF IT THERE WAS THE
ULTIMATE RISK.
ULTIMATE RISK. >> AND WHY DO YOU HAVE
CONFIDENCE YOU CAN DO THAT AND
TELL YOUR DAD NOT TO WORRY?
>> CONGRESSMAN, BECAUSE THIS IS
AMERICA.
AMERICA. THIS IS THE COUNTRY I’VE SERVED
AND DEFENDED, THAT ALL MY
BROTHERS HAVE SERVED, AND HERE,
RIGHT MATTERS.
RIGHT MATTERS. >> THANK YOU, SIR.
I YIELD BACK.
>> JOINING US NOW IS
REPRESENTATIVE SEAN PATRICK
MALONEY, DEMOCRAT FROM NEW YORK.
HE’S A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND WAS
OBVIOUSLY AT TODAY’S HEARING.
CONGRESSMAN MALONEY, THAT WAS A
VERY POWERFUL SECTION OF THE
TESTIMONY.
TESTIMONY. IT’S ACTUALLY GOT A MUCH LONGER
BURST OF APPLAUSE THERE THAN WE
SHOWED ON THE VIDEO.
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BRING
COLONEL VINDMAN’S ATTENTION BACK
TO THAT STATEMENT HE MADE
DIRECTLY TO HIS FATHER IN THE
OPENING STATEMENT?
OPENING STATEMENT? >> WELL, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS
MOVING.
MOVING. YOU KNOW, I THINK ALL OF US WHO
READ IT WERE STRUCK BY IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE HURRIED
MOMENTS EARLY IN THE HEARING I
JUST DIDN’T -- I DIDN’T FEEL IT
GOT THE ATTENTION IT DESERVED,
AND I JUST REALLY WANTED TO ASK
HIM ABOUT IT, AND BOY TWRSH, YOU
KNOW, I GOT MORE THAN I
BARGAINED FOR.
BARGAINED FOR. WHAT HE SAID AT THE END, I MEAN
I GET EMOTIONAL THINKING ABOUT
IT.
IT. WHEN HE SAID THIS IS AMERICA,
YOU KNOW, I’VE FOUGHT FOR IT, MY
BROTHERS FOUGHT FOR IT AND HERE
RIGHT MATTERS.
RIGHT MATTERS. BOY, THAT’S OUR CHALLENGE IT
SEEMS TO ME.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I -- I THINK
THAT’S UP IN THE AIR, FRANKLY.
WHETHER IT’S GOING TO MATTER,
WHETHER THIS IS GOING TO GET
THROUGH.
THROUGH. AND I JUST FEEL WE OWE IT TO
GUYS LIKE LIEUTENANT COLONEL
VINDMAN TO MAKE SURE HE’S RIGHT
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. >> AND JUST WANT TO SHOW A
PASSAGE WHERE HE WAS TRYING TO
GO AFTER THE COLONEL’S
QUALIFICATIONS.
QUALIFICATIONS. >> SO YOUR BOSS HAD CONCERNS
ABOUT YOUR JUDGMENT, YOUR FORMER
BOSS HAD CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR
JUDGMENT.
JUDGMENT. YOUR COLLEAGUES HAD CONCERNS
ABOUT YOUR JUDGMENT AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES FELT THERE WERE TIMES
YOU LEAKED INFORMATION.
ANY REASON WHY THEY HAVE THOSE
IMPRESSIONS?
IMPRESSIONS? >> I’LL START BY READING DR.
HILL’S OWN WORDS AS SHE -- SHE
ATTESTED TO IN MY LAST
EVALUATION THAT WAS DATED MIDDLE
OF JULY RIGHT BEFORE SHE LEFT.
ALEX IS A TOP 1% MILITARY
OFFICER.
OFFICER. HE IS BRILLIANT, UNPLANABLE AND
EXERCISES EXCELLENT JUDGMENT.
>> AND CONGRESSMAN, AS YOU KNOW
THERE’S MORE TO IT THAT HE WAS
TOO MODEST TO CONTINUE READING.
BUT BEST ARMY OFFICER I’VE
WORKED WITH IN 15 YEARS OF
GOVERNMENT SERVICE IS ABOUT AS
HIGH PRAISE AS YOU CAN GET.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. AND YOU’RE NOT SELECTED TO WORK
ON THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
UNLESS YOU’RE ONE OF THE VERY
BEST.
BEST. EVERYTHING ABOUT LIEUTENANT
COLONEL VINDMAN SCREAMS
EXCELLENCE.
EXCELLENCE. AND NOT JUST EXCELLENCE BUT REAL
DUTY.
DUTY. HE HE USED THAT WORD.
YOU KNOW, WHY DID YOU REPORT IT
WHEN YOU KNEW IT WAS WRONG,
BECAUSE IT’S MY DUTY, HE SAID.
REMEMBER MR. MORRISON IS
REPORTING ITB, TOO, BUT HE’S
REPORT TG SO THEY RESTRICT
ACCESS AND COVER IT UP.
THANK GOD THERE’S STILL GUYS
LIKE LIEUTENANT COLONEL VINDMAN
WHO KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG, AND
IT’S THESE FOREIGN SERVICE
OFFICERS AND THESE MILITARY
OFFICERS WHO RIGHT NOW ARE GOING
TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY.
>> CONGRESSMAN, WHAT WAS YOUR
ASSESSMENT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
POINTS OF EVIDENCE IN TODAY’S
HEARINGS?
HEARINGS? >> YOU HAVE NOW DIRECT WITNESSES
SAYING WE HEARD THE PRESIDENT
WITH OUR OWN EARS, JENNIFER
WILLIAMS SAID IT WHO’S WORKED
FOR VICE PRESIDENT PENCE AND A
BUNCH OF REPUBLICANS AND YOU’VE
GOT LIEUTENANT COLONEL VINDMAN
SAYING WE HEARD IT AND WE KNEW
IT WAS WRONG.
HE SAID IT WAS ILPROPER ANDMPROP
REPORTED IT.
REPORTED IT. AND NOW YOU’VE GOT AMBASSADOR
VOLKER WHO SAYS IF I’D ONLY
KNOWN BURISMA MEANT THE BIDENS I
WOULD HAVE RAISED MY OWN
OBJECTIONS, I WOULD HAVE
CONSIDERED IT TO BE WRONG.
THAT’S A BIG SHIFT FROM WHEN HE
CAME IN TO TESTIFY THE FIRST
TIME.
TIME. AND I’M GLAD HE’S CLEANING THAT
UP, BUT IT ALIGNS HIS TESTIMONY
WITH THE OTHER WITNESSES.
AND OF COURSE MR. MORRISON WHO
ALSO HEARD THE CALL AND
CONFIRMED ALL THE KEY EVENTS IN
QUESTION AND WHO THEN BY HIS
ACTIONS DEMONSTRATED HOW SERIOUS
HE KNEW IT WAS.
THESE WERE ALL WITNESSES WHO
WERE IN THE ROOM WHO WERE
DIRECTLY LISTENING TO THE
PRESIDENT, WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE POLICY.
YOU KNOW, THEY DETONATE THE
REPUBLICAN TALKING POINT THIS IS
ONLY SECOND OR THIRDHAND OR
HEARSAY.
HEARSAY. THIS IS POWERFUL TESTIMONY.
>> AND TIM MORRISON ESTABLISHED
THE SONDLAND PRINCIPLE I GUESS
WE CAN CALL IT AT THIS POINT
THAT SONDLAND TOLD HIM THE ONLY
WAY UKRAINE IS GOING TO GET THE
AID IS IF THEY PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE
THE INVESTIGATIONS.
THE INVESTIGATIONS. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
WE KNOW AMBASSADOR SONDLAND WHO
WILL TESTIFY TOMORROW DELIVERED
THE UNVARNISHED QUID PRO QUO TO
THE UKRAINIANS IN WARSAW ON
SEPTEMBER 1st.
SEPTEMBER 1st. YOU DON’T GET THE AID, YOU DON’T
GET THE WHITE HOUSE MEETING
UNLESS WE GET THE SPECIFIC
LANGUAGE IN A STATEMENT BY THE
PRESIDENT TO CNN.
THEY LITERALLY SAID THAT IN THE
CALLS FOR THE INVESTIGATIONS OF
THE BIDENS.
THE BIDENS. AMBASSADOR SONDLAND NOW IS GOING
TO COME IN AND TESTIFY TO THAT.
HE’S OF COURSE GOING TO HAVE TO
REMEMBER NOW THE CONVERSATION HE
HAD THAT DAVID HOLMES OVERHEARD
THAT HE SO FAMOUSLY
CHARACTERIZED AS THE PRESIDENT
NOT GIVING AN EXPLETIVE ABOUT
UKRAINE, ONLY ABOUT THE
INVESTIGATION OF THE BIDENS.
MR. SONDLAND IS A VERY IMPORTANT
WITNESS BECAUSE HE’S, AGAIN,
DIRECTLY SPEAKING TO THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> QUICKLY BEFORE YOU GO,
CONGRESSMAN, AMBASSADOR SONDLAND
TOMORROW IS GOING TO HAVE TO
CHANGE HIS TESTIMONY AGAIN.
HE’S CHANGED HIS UNDER OATH
TESTIMONY FOR YOUR COMMITTEE
ONCE BEFORE.
ONCE BEFORE. HE’S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE TO
CHANGE IT IN RELATION TO DAVID
HOLMES OVERHEARING THE NOW
INFAMOUS CELLPHONE CALL.
IS GORDON SONDLAND’S LEGAL
FUTURE ON THE LINE IN HOW HE
TESTIFIES UNDER OATH TOMORROW
MORNING?
MORNING? >> OF COURSE IT IS.
BUT THEN IT IS FOR EVERY WITNESS
WHO TESTIFIES UNDER OATH.
THAT’S TO BE EXPECTED.
I THINK IF AMBASSADOR SONDLAND
RESOLVES TO TELL THE WHOLE
TRUTH, THEN HE CAN COME IN AND
HE WON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO WORRY
ABOUT.
ABOUT. NONE OF US ARE OUT TO GET
AMBASSADOR SONDLAND, AND NONE OF
US EVEN WANT HIM TO SAY ANY
PARTICULAR THING.
PARTICULAR THING. WE JUST WANT THE TRUTH.
WE WANT HIM TO COME IN AND TELL
US WHAT HE KNOWS.
IT SHAD NOT BE THIS HARD TO GET
SOMEONE TO TALK ABOUT EVENTS
THAT HAPPENED JUST A FEW WEEKS
BEFORE HIS FIRST TESTIMONY.
AND WE ARE GETTING THERE BECAUSE
OF THE WAY WE APPROACHED THIS
INVESTIGATION WHICH WAS NOT TO
NOT LET HIM COORDINATE THIS
TESTIMONY WITH OTHER WITNESSES,
DO IT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, OF
COURSE.
COURSE. AND THEN TO SURROUND HIM WITH
OTHER TESTIMONY THAT HE CANNOT
EVADE, AND SO HE HAS TO TELL THE
TRUTH.
TRUTH. I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO SEE HIM
COME WITH THE WHOLE TRUTH
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. >> CONGRESSMAN SEAN PATRICK
MALONEY AND I’M SURE I SPEAK FOR
EVERYONE IN OUR AUDIENCE
INCLUDING BY THE WAY REPUBLICANS