Four witnesses testified in the House Intelligence Committee's marathon public impeachment hearings on Tuesday.The witnesses — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's
Ukraine expert; Tim Morrison, the former NSC director for
Russia and European affairs; Jennifer Williams, a Russia adviser for Vice President Mike Pence; and former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker — testified for a combined 9.5 hours over two separate hearings. Here's a look at five key moments:White House attacks Vindman during his testimony The White House, following Trump's lead, tweeted an attack against Vindman while he testified Tuesday. The
White House tweeted that Morrison, briefly Vindman's boss at the NSC, testified he had "concerns" about "Vindman's judgment." Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pounced on this quote, and Vindman responded by reading parts of a glowing evaluation written by his other former boss, Fiona Hill. "He is brilliant, unflappable, and exercises excellent judgment," Hill wrote.
Former Ukraine envoy revises earlier testimony Volker had previously testified to House impeachment investigators that during a July 10 meeting with a Ukrainian defense leader, nobody discussed investigating former Vice President
Joe Biden and his son Hunter. In his opening statement Tuesday, Volker said he now remembers that the meeting was "essentially over when Ambassador Sondland made a generic comment about investigations." He also backtracked on Trump's freeze of $400 million in military aid, saying he never told Ukraine there were strings attached to the money, but he "did not know" if others "were conveying a different message to them around that same time."
Former National Security Council official confirms Ukraine quid pro quo Morrison revealed that U.S. Ambassador to the
European Union Gordon Sondland told him that in a Sept. 1 meeting with Andriy Yermak, a Ukrainian official, he had informed Yermak that "the Ukrainians would have to have the prosecutor general make a statement with respect to the investigations as a condition of having the aid lifted."
Vindman sends a touching message to his father At the end of his testimony, Vindman — who came to the
United States from the Soviet Union as a small child — praised America and spoke directly to his father: "Dad, my sitting here today in the U.S. Capitol talking to our elected officials is proof that you made the right decision."
Williams and Vindman react to being called 'Never Trumpers' Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) gave Vindman and Williams the opportunity to respond to accusations — from Trump and some of his allies — that they are "Never Trumpers," out to get the president. Williams said she's not "sure I know an official definition of a 'Never Trumper,'" but she wouldn't classify herself as one and was "surprised" Trump characterized her that way. Vindman said he would call himself "Never Partisan."