NewsHero (beta) - Career Diplomat Offers Key Testimony To Impeachment Investigators
October 26, 2019 - Issue 3
Welcome to this week’s edition of NewsHero for October 26, 2019
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Career Diplomat Offers Key Testimony To Impeachment Investigators
U.S. judge validates legality of Democrat-led inquiry
William Taylor arriving on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
In what has been called a “crushing blow” to President Trump, the top American diplomat in Ukraine testified behind closed doors this week to impeachment investigators. William Taylor’s testimony claimed that a number of senior administration officials told him that Trump blocked military aid to Ukraine and refused to meet the country’s leader until he agreed to investigate Trump’s political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and says Democrats are trying to impeach him because they cannot win the 2020 election.
Laura Cooper, a top Pentagon official who oversees policy on Ukraine and Russia, also testified this week. Cooper’s deposition came only after a disruption from Republicans in which about two-dozen stormed closed-door proceedings with complaints regarding the impeachment inquiry process. Cooper offered a technical explanation of how foreign aid is disbursed. Several officials say her testimony helped show that the Ukraine aid deviated from the typical process.
Also this week:
Fox News reported this week that support for President Trump’s impeachment has reached a new high.
A U.S. district judge ordered the State Department to comply to a request for documents pertaining to the investigation.
The Associated Press reported that Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy felt pressure from Trump before taking office.
Representative Adam Schiff fired back at Republicans after a resolution attempting to censure him failed on the House floor.
The Justice Department is reportedly opening a criminal inquiry into its own Russia investigation, potentially exposing Attorney General William Barr to accusations that he is trying to deliver a political victory for Trump. The New York City Bar Association posted a statement on its website saying that the attorney general should recuse himself of legal review on Ukraine matters.
In a victory for House Democrats on Friday a judge in federal court validated the legality of the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump and ordered the Justice Department to turn over documents from the investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, including an unredacted copy of the Mueller report.
House Democrats told BuzzFeed News they hope televising impeachment proceedings will help inform the public while ending Republican complaints of secrecy as the 2020 election nears.
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