First public impeachment hearing into President Trump begins

The House on Wednesday holds the first televised hearing in its impeachment inquiry about whether President Donald Trump abused his office – with a California congressman and a war veteran diplomat taking center stage – and the president’s allies running interference.

The impeachment of President Trump, long predicted by his critics both before and during the Russia probe, is set to advance when the House Intelligence Committee gavels into order at 10 am in an ornate House committee room.

On Monday, as the historic proceedings were about to begin, the nation was split 48 to 44 in favor of some form of impeachment, according to a FiveThirtyEight average.    

THE RULES 

House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff of California will be overseeing the spectacle, after instructing his colleagues on what conduct he would and would not tolerate. His task is to maintain order amid withering attacks as he tries to keep the focus on the Ukraine affair that has overwhelmed congressional business this fall.

‘The hearings will be conducted in a manner that ensures that all participants are treated fairly and with respect, mindful of the solemn and historic task before us,’ Schiff wrote them Tuesday. 

‘I hope that we have a substantive and serious hearing and that Republicans will cooperate in treating this the way that Americans want the Congress to treat it – which is as a serious issue,’ Texas Rep. Julian Castro, who will participate, told DailyMail.com. 

Schiff and his GOP counterpart Rep. Devin Nunes will each get to provide opening statements. Each will control a 90 minute block of time which they can use to question the witness or yield to an attorney.

After the time expires, members will alternate questioning in five-minute increments. The hearing is certain to last hours. Schiff advised lawmakers that only members of three committees could be present – after GOP lawmakers tried to crash a closed deposition in a secure room. And with the threat of protests or other pyrotechnics, he advised all members to observe proper decorum.

The committee room in the Longworth House Office Building that will host the House Intelligence Committee’s open impeachment hearings against President Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

THE WITNESSES 

Democrats are beginning with their most emphatic witness, Bill Taylor, the Charge d’Affairs running the U.S. embassy in Kiev – after the administration forced out Ambassador Marie Yavanovitch. Schiff is overseeing a hearing to gather information – but it is one that could lead to the recommendation of articles of impeachment that the Judiciary Committee could consider, with a potential House vote and Senate trial to follow. 

Taylor, who was awarded a Bronze star serving in Vietnam, texted colleagues he thought it was ‘crazy’ to hold up millions in U.S. military aid to get Ukraine to conduct investigations of the Bidens and 2016.

Also up: bow tie-wearing diplomat George Kent, who testified to Congress Trump wanted to hear three words from Ukrainian President Zelensky: ‘Investigations, Biden and Clinton.’ 

On Friday, Yovanovitch is set to testify Friday. The longtime diplomat was removed from her post after Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his allies spread information, swatted down by a series of witnesses, that she was working against Trump.

She testified behind closed doors Giuliani’s associates ‘may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine.’ 

Ambassador William Taylor is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police as he arrives to testify before House committees as part of the Democrats' impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington

George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, arrives to testify at a closed-door deposition as part of the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill

Ambassador William Taylor and State Department official George Kent are the first witnesses at Wednesday’s televised impeachment hearing

THE REPUBLICANS 

President Trump has been his own chief defender, calling the inquiry ‘A total Impeachment Scam by the Do Nothing Democrats!’ He said his July 25 call where he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for ‘a favor though’ was a ‘perfect call.’ His mantra to critics has been to ‘read the transcript!’ of the call. 

At the hearing, Republicans are led by California Rep. Devin Nunes, who as former Intelligence chairman repeatedly attacked the Mueller probe and coordinated with the White House.

GOP leaders just days ago installed Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on the committee, so he can put his prosecutorial skills to use on Trump’s behalf.

Members of the Intelligence committee will be present, after an inquiry that also involved members of the House Foreign Relations and Oversight Committees.

Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) will control a block of time for Republican questioning

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was put on the Intelligence panel so he could defend Trump

Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) will control a block of time for Republican questioning

THE LAWYERS 

Under rules passed by the House and imposed by Schiff, committee counsel will be able to lead questioning. As the Judiciary Committee did in May when former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski testified, committee counsel will grill witnesses for an extended block.

But Schiff and Nunes will get 90 minute blocks of time. Schiff said he would yield a significant amount to Democratic superlawyer Daniel Goldman, who conducted many of the closed-door interviews for the committee. Goldman spent years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York going after mobsters.

For Republicans, Steve Castor will be handling questioning. He is an experienced congressional attorney, who spent 14 years advising the House Oversight Committee and handled a series of prominent and controversial investigations. 

Daniel Goldman, attorney and Director of Investigations with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will question witnesses during a block of time

Steve Castor, the longtime counsel for the House Oversight Committee, will question witnesses for Republicans

Daniel Goldman, attorney and Director of Investigations with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will question witnesses during a block of time for Democrats. Attorney Steve Castor will question witnesses for Republicans.

THE PRESIDENT 

A wild card in the hearings will be President Trump. He has repeatedly sought to attack the inquiry in public, while his administration has fiercely resisted subpoenas for witnesses and documents. 

‘A total Impeachment Scam by the Do Nothing Democrats!’ Trump tweeted on Tuesday. He could try to provide online commentary – or change the subject. He will be hosting Turkish President Recep Erdogan, and has scheduled a press conference, which gives him the ability to preempt or try to steer TV coverage. Trump has also repeatedly hyped the transcript of an additional call he held with the Ukrainian president, saying he would release it this week. 

Trump mocked the hearings in a Saturday tweet: ‘I recommend that Nervous Nancy Pelosi (who backed up Schiff’s lie), Shifty Adam Schiff, Sleepy Joe Biden, the Whistleblower (who miraculously disappeared after I released the transcript of the call), the 2nd Whistleblower (who also disappeared), & the I.G., be part of the list!’ The New York Times reported Tuesday Trump had spoken about firing the IG, who holds an independent post. 

A key piece of evidence is the transcript of Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

A key piece of evidence is the transcript of Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

WILL THE WHISTLE-BLOWER GET EXPOSED? 

Democrats have raised concerns that Republicans might try to use the hearing to out the whistle-blower who first brought forward a complaint about Trump’s Ukraine call.  

‘That is a concern of mine … This person has a right to remain anonymous,’ said Rep. Castro.

Schiff issued a warning to Republican House members by saying they could be subject to Ethics Committee probes if they seek to out the whistle-blower during televised impeachment hearings.

Schiff conveyed the warning in a memo he penned for committee members on the eve of the first block-buster hearing, which begins Wednesday morning.

He said the committee will not facilitate efforts to ‘threaten, intimidate, or retaliate against the whistle-blower,’ after Democrats accused Republicans of using closed-door questioning to ferret out information on the whistle-blower.  

The he referenced House official Code of Official Conduct for Members of Congress. It contains a key provision requiring that members act in a way that ‘shall reflect creditably on the House.’ The line from the code has been used in numerous findings by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee against members. 

‘The Committee on Ethics has historically viewed this provision as ‘encompassing violations of law and abuses of one’s official position,’ Schiff noted. He also provides a citation in the U.S. code on ‘prohibited practices’ in the intelligence community, including reprisals against whistle-blowers.

Rep. Adam Schiff spelled out rules for the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday

Rep. Adam Schiff spelled out rules for the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? 

A congressional resolution stated parameters of the inquiry, as Schiff reminded lawmakers. ‘Did the President request that a foreign leader and government initiate investigations to benefit the President’s personal political interests in the United States, including an investigation related to the President’s political rival and potential opponent in the 2020 U.S. presidential election?’

‘Did the President—directly or through agents—seek to use the power of the Office of the President and other instruments of the federal government in other ways to apply pressure on the head of state and government of Ukraine to advance the President’s personal political interests, including by leveraging an Oval Office meeting desired by the President of Ukraine or by withholding U.S. military assistance to Ukraine?’

‘Did the President and his Administration seek to obstruct, suppress or cover up information to conceal from the Congress and the American people evidence about the President’s actions and conduct?’ 

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is set to testify Friday

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is set to testify Friday

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has coffee with Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, U.S. September 20, 2019. Parnas was indicted on campaign finance charges

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has coffee with Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, U.S. September 20, 2019. Parnas was indicted on campaign finance charges

Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified about the effort to get Ukraine to make a public statement about investigations. The hotelier gave $1 million for Trump's inauguration

Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified about the effort to get Ukraine to make a public statement about investigations. The hotelier gave $1 million for Trump’s inauguration

A key moment is the the July 25 call, where Zelensky brought up U.S. military support his country was seeking. Trump asked for a favor, and mentioned Joe Biden, in a reference to son Hunter Biden’s work for a Ukrainian energy company. 

Witnesses in the inquiry have testified that Trump told key officials to ‘talk to Rudy,’ in reference to his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for guidance. Trump-nominated GOP donor Gordon Sondland testified that he told a Ukrainian official that a White House meeting was likely conditioned on Ukraine putting out a statement saying it would conduct the investigations Trump’s team was seeking. At the same time, the administration was holding up $390 million in appropriate assistance for Ukraine.

Sondland denied in a text exchange there was any ‘quid pro quo’ after speaking with President Trump. But his amended testimony confirmed something closer to it. 

Democrats call it a shakedown. Republicans have noted that the aid eventually got released – although this happened after Congress got the whistle-blower’s complaint.  

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