Key quotes from the fifth public Trump impeachment hearing

The fifth day of public proceedings in the impeachment inquiry against Trump featured testimony by the official former National Security Council aide Fiona Hill and by David Holmes, political counselor at the U.S. embassy official in Kiev. Andrew...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

The fifth day of public proceedings in the impeachment inquiry against Trump featured testimony by the official former National Security Council aide Fiona Hill and by David Holmes, political counselor at the U.S. embassy official in Kiev. Andrew Harrer/Pool via Reuters

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Fiona Hill urged lawmakers not to promote "politically driven falsehoods" that cast doubt on Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election. She said based on their questions and statements some members of the panel appear to believe that Russia did...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Fiona Hill urged lawmakers not to promote "politically driven falsehoods" that cast doubt on Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election. She said based on their questions and statements some members of the panel appear to believe that Russia did not conduct a campaign, and that perhaps Ukraine did. "This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves," said Hill. "In the course of this investigation, I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests." REUTERS/Erin Scott

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Fiona Hill recalled a conversation she had with former National Security Adviser John Bolton about Rudy Giuliani's activities. She said she had already expressed regrets to Bolton about Giuliani's "smear campaign" against Marie Yovanovitch, the...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Fiona Hill recalled a conversation she had with former National Security Adviser John Bolton about Rudy Giuliani's activities. She said she had already expressed regrets to Bolton about Giuliani's "smear campaign" against Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who Trump withdrew prematurely from Kiev in May. Bolton, she said, looked pained and "basically indicated with body language that there was nothing much that we could do about it. And then, in the course of our discussion said Rudy Giuliani was a hand grenade that was going to blow everyone up." Asked to elaborate on what she thought Bolton meant, Hill replied that what Giuliani was say was "pretty explosive" and that Giuliani "was clearly pushing forward issues and ideas that would, you know, probably come back to haunt us and in fact I think that that's where we are today." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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David Holmes: "Over the following months, it became apparent that Mr. Giuliani was having a direct influence on the foreign policy agenda that the Three Amigos were executing on the ground in Ukraine. In fact, at one point during a preliminary...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

David Holmes: "Over the following months, it became apparent that Mr. Giuliani was having a direct influence on the foreign policy agenda that the Three Amigos were executing on the ground in Ukraine. In fact, at one point during a preliminary meeting of the inauguration delegation, someone wondered aloud about why Mr. Giuliani was so active in the media with respect to Ukraine. My recollection is that Ambassador Sondland stated, "Dammit Rudy. Every time Rudy gets involved he goes and f--s everything up." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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Fiona Hill noted the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia's "acts of aggression" in eastern Ukraine since then. "There is a great deal of hostility and malign intent towards Ukraine, and it suits the Russian government very...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Fiona Hill noted the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia's "acts of aggression" in eastern Ukraine since then. "There is a great deal of hostility and malign intent towards Ukraine, and it suits the Russian government very much if we are also looking at Ukraine as somehow a perpetrator of malign acts against us." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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Asked by Schiff if the Russians were now seeking to place the blame on Ukraine, Hill said, "That's absolutely the case ...The Russians like to put a lot of blame on U.S. allies for incidents that they have perpetrated ... This falls into a long...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Asked by Schiff if the Russians were now seeking to place the blame on Ukraine, Hill said, "That's absolutely the case ...The Russians like to put a lot of blame on U.S. allies for incidents that they have perpetrated ... This falls into a long pattern of deflection and of the Russian government trying to pin the blame on someone else," she said. "As my colleague Mr. Holmes here has laid out, the Russians have a particular vested interest in putting Ukraine and Ukrainians and Ukrainian leaders in a very bad light." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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Fiona Hill: "I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternative narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine - not Russia - attacked us in 2016." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Fiona Hill: "I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternative narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine - not Russia - attacked us in 2016." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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David Holmes: "I asked Ambassador Sondland if it was true that the President did not 'give a s--t about Ukraine.' Ambassador Sondland agreed that the President did not 'give a s--t about Ukraine.' I asked why not, and Ambassador Sondland stated that...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

David Holmes: "I asked Ambassador Sondland if it was true that the President did not 'give a s--t about Ukraine.' Ambassador Sondland agreed that the President did not 'give a s--t about Ukraine.' I asked why not, and Ambassador Sondland stated that the President only cares about 'big stuff.' I noted that there was 'big stuff' going on in Ukraine, like a war with Russia, and Ambassador Sondland replied that he meant 'big stuff' that benefits the President, like the 'Biden investigation' that Mr. Giuliani was pushing." REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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David Holmes testified about a July 26 phone call in which he said he overheard Trump ask Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, about the status of the investigations. He said he heard Trump's voice on the call at a Kiev...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

David Holmes testified about a July 26 phone call in which he said he overheard Trump ask Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, about the status of the investigations. He said he heard Trump's voice on the call at a Kiev restaurant. "So, he's gonna do the investigation?" Trump asked Sondland, referring to Zelenskiy, Holmes said. "He's gonna do it," replied Sondland, he said. Sondland added that the Ukrainian president would do "anything you ask him to," Holmes said. REUTERS/Erin Scott

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Devin Nunes, top Republican on House Intelligence Committee: "From the Russia hoax to this shoddy Ukrainian sequel, the Democrats got caught. Let's hope they finally learn a lesson, give their conspiracy theories a rest, and focus on governing for a...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Devin Nunes, top Republican on House Intelligence Committee: "From the Russia hoax to this shoddy Ukrainian sequel, the Democrats got caught. Let's hope they finally learn a lesson, give their conspiracy theories a rest, and focus on governing for a change." Matt McClain/Pool via Reuters

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Devin Nunes: "Needless to say, it is entirely possible for two separate nations to engage in election meddling at the same time. And Republicans believe we should take meddling seriously by all foreign countries, regardless of which campaign is the...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Devin Nunes: "Needless to say, it is entirely possible for two separate nations to engage in election meddling at the same time. And Republicans believe we should take meddling seriously by all foreign countries, regardless of which campaign is the target." Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS

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David Holmes: "It is important to understand that a White House visit was critical to President Zelenskiy. President Zelenskiy needed to show U.S. support at the highest levels in order to demonstrate to Russian President Putin that he had U.S....more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

David Holmes: "It is important to understand that a White House visit was critical to President Zelenskiy. President Zelenskiy needed to show U.S. support at the highest levels in order to demonstrate to Russian President Putin that he had U.S. backing, as well as to advance his ambitious anti-corruption reforms at home." REUTERS/Erin Scott

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Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee: "In the coming days, Congress will determine what response is appropriate. If the president abused his power and invited foreign interference in our elections, if he sought to...more

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee: "In the coming days, Congress will determine what response is appropriate. If the president abused his power and invited foreign interference in our elections, if he sought to condition, coerce, extort, or bribe a vulnerable ally into conducting investigations to aid his reelection campaign and did so by withholding official acts - a White House meeting or hundreds of millions of dollars of needed military aid - it will be up to us to decide, whether those acts are compatible with the office of the Presidency." Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS

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Fiona Hill warned lawmakers that Russia is gearing up to repeat its election interference activities in 2020: "We are running out of time to stop them." Andrew Harrer/Pool via REUTERS

Reuters / Thursday, November 21, 2019

Fiona Hill warned lawmakers that Russia is gearing up to repeat its election interference activities in 2020: "We are running out of time to stop them." Andrew Harrer/Pool via REUTERS

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