Ukraine expert gives first-hand testimony on Trump-Zelenskiy call – live | US news

Steny Hoyer’s suggestion that the impeachment resolution may not be ready for the planned Thursday vote raises the possibility that the proceedings’ entire timeline could be slightly delayed.

However, one Democratic aide said the resolution would be ready for a vote by Thursday because the chairs of the committees leading the inquiry are pushing for it.

Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, voiced skepticism that the resolution authorizing impeachment procedures would be ready for a Thursday vote.

The Maryland Democrat told reporters on Capitol Hill that he and the rest of the caucus have not yet read the resolution. The text of the proposal was originally set to be revealed today, but Hoyer appeared skeptical of that timeline.

The questions over Democrats’ impeachment resolution threatened to take attention away from the testimony of Alexander Vindman, who reportedly intended to tell House investigators that he was concerned after listening to Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president.

The Washington Post has uncovered footage of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, whose family emigrated from the Soviet Union when he was a child, appearing alongside his twin brother in Ken Burns’ documentary series “America” for a segment on the Statue of Liberty.

The segment explores the statue’s power as a symbol to immigrants, like the Vindmans, who have adopted America as their home.

According to a draft of his opening statement, Vindman intended to tell impeachment investigators today: “My family fled the Soviet Union when I was three and a half years old. … In spite of our challenging beginnings, my family worked to build its own American dream.

“I have a deep appreciation for American values and ideals and the power of freedom. I am a patriot, and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend OUR country, irrespective of party or politics.”

All of this seems to contradict some conservative commentators’ doubts about Vindman’s loyalty to the United States because he was born in the Soviet Union and has become an expert on Ukraine.

Representative Justin Amash, a congressman who left the Republican Party over opposition to Trump, cleverly mocked the president’s typo in a tweet claiming Democrats would suffer electoral losses because of the impeachment inquiry.

Trump is still tweeting away, arguing that the House Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry have a “Death Wish” when it comes to next year’s elections.

However, a number of House Republicans have announced plans to retire or seek higher office in recent months, suggesting that the GOP caucus is the one with doubts about their 2020 prospects.

Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, declined to attack the integrity of Lt Col Alexander Vindman but still questioned the official’s reported concerns about Trump’s Ukraine call.

The California Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I thank him for his service … but he is wrong.”

McCarthy also dismissed any notion that Republicans are flip-flopping by voicing opposition to House Democrats’ resolution to authorize impeachment procedures even though GOP lawmakers have been calling for a formal, chamber-wide vote for weeks.

However, at least one House Republican, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, is criticizing the commentators questioning the patriotism of Lt Col Alexnader Vindman as he testifies to impeachment investigators.

Some Republicans and conservative commentators have questioned the patriotism of Lt Col Alexander Vindman amid reports that the national security council official intends to testify he had concerns about Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president.

A Washington correspondent for the Economist lashed out against those voicing doubts about Vindman, who served in Iraq and received a Purple Heart after being injured in an IED attack.

As Alexander Vindman testifies to impeachment investigators about Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president, Republican lawmakers are struggling to answer a question about whether it would be acceptable for a commander-in-chief to ask foreign countries to investigate their political rivals.

Democrats are already rushing to defend Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman after the president dismissed the national security council official as a “Never Trumper.”

Vindman also reportedly intends to tell impeachment investigators in his opening statement: “For over twenty years as an active duty United States military officer and diplomat, I have served this country in a nonpartisan manner, and have done so with the utmost respect and professionalism for both Republican and Democratic administrations.”

Vindman, who served in Iraq and received a Purple Heart after being wounded by an IED, plans to tell the congressional committees that Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president made him concerned the White House was jeopardizing US alliances by trying to advance its political interests.

Lt Col Alexander Vindman has arrived on Capitol Hill to testify to the committees leading House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry against Trump.

The national security council official reportedly intends to tell impeachment investigators about Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president and his concerns about the commander-in-chief seeking an investigation into his political rival, Joe Biden.

Trump has now weighed in on the looming testimony of Alexander Vindman, the national security council official who reportedly intends to tell impeachment investigators that the president’s Ukraine call made him worried the White House was jeopardizing foreign policy to advance its political interests.

Without mentioning Vindman’s name, the president dismissed the official, who has served in Iraq and received a Purple Heart after being wounded in an IED attack, as a “Never Trumper”.

It’s notable how Trump keeps moving the goalposts on what constitutes impeachable testimony. He previously said witnesses who testified to an alleged quid pro quo should be discredited because they did not personally hear the call.

Now, faced with someone who did personally hear the call, Trump is saying that the impeachment investigators should instead refer to the White House “transcript” of the call. However, the “transcript” is actually a White House memo summarizing the call that appeared to cut out much of Trump’s conversation with the Ukrainian president.

Vindman will probably ill in many of the gaps left by that memo in his testimony today.

Good morning, live blog readers!

It appears that Donald Trump’s dismissal of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry as an illegitimate “witch-hunt” based on “hearsay” testimony is unraveling before our eyes.

Lt Col Alexander S. Vindman, a top Ukraine expert on the national security council, reportedly intends to tell the House committees leading the impeachment inquiry that Trump’s call with the leader of Ukraine made him deeply concerned the president was jeopardizing key foreign policy in the hope of triggering an investigation into his political rival, Joe Biden.

Vindman will be the first witness to provide impeachment investigators with a first-hand account of the controversial phone call that kicked off the formal inquiry. According to a draft of his opening statement first obtained by the New York Times, the national security official will tell the House committees this morning: “I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the US government’s support of Ukraine.”

Vindman’s testimony will be the second major blow to Trump’s impeachment defense in less than 24 hours. Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that House Democrats would introduce a resolution to formalize impeachment procedures, marking the first chamber-wide vote on the inquiry.

For weeks, Trump and his allies have derided the impeachment investigation by arguing that the inquiry is an illegitimate scam because the House never formally voted to launch the proceedings. Trump has also dismissed all of the testimony of an alleged quid pro quo as baseless hearsay.

It appears that both of those points will be addressed this week. So how will Trump now defend himself against the investigation? And what else will Vindman have to say?

Here’s what else the blog is keeping its eye on:

• Trump will have lunch with the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and meet the 2019 recipients of the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking. He will later address donors at his Washington hotel.
• The treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, will continue his Middle East trip with meetings in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
• Game six of the World Series will take place in Houston, where the Astros have a chance to win the championship against the Washington Nationals.

The blog will have plenty more coming up, so stay tuned.