WTF Just Happened Today

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

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1/ Two national security officials testified publicly that Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian president was "improper," "unusual," and overtly political. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine specialist on the National Security Council, and Jennifer Williams, an adviser to Mike Pence on Russia and Europe, both listened in on Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump ignored official talking points about fighting corruption to instead "demand" an investigation tied to Joe Biden. Vindman told the House Intelligence Committee that "What I heard was inappropriate and I reported it […] out of a sense of duty," because "the connection to investigate a political opponent was inappropriate and improper." Vindman also testified that he interpreted Trump's request that Zelensky open investigations as a demand, saying "the power disparity between the two leaders – my impression was that in order to get the White House meeting, President Zelensky would have to deliver these investigations." In her opening statement, Williams said she found the call "unusual" because it "involved discussion of what appeared to be a domestic political matter." Vindman and Williams are the first White House officials to testify in public as part of the impeachment inquiry. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian / Washington Post / CNN / Bloomberg)

• Who testified today: National Security Council staffer Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, former NSC staffer Tim Morrison, and former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker.

• Who testifies on Wednesday: Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs, and David Hale, the undersecretary of state for political affairs.

• Who testifies on Thursday: Fiona Hill, the former NSC senior director for Europe and Russia, and David Holmes, U.S. Embassy in Ukraine official.

• Live blogs: New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian / Politico / CNN / NBC News / Wall Street Journal /