READ: Final Transcripts from Closed-Door Impeachment Hearings Released
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The transcripts of the last two closed-door testimonies in the impeachment inquiry have been released by the House Intelligence Committee.
The first testimony was from Office of Management and Budget official Mark Sandy. Sandy testified that a July 12th email from Mick Mulvaney aide Robert Blair detailed “to the best of my recollection, that the President is directing a hold on military support funding for Ukraine.”
Sandy was asked during his testimony, “Between JuIy 19th and JuIy 22nd, including July 22nd, did Mr. Duffey provide you any explanation as to why the President wanted to place a hold on Uknaine security assistance?” (Referring to OMB official Michael Duffey.)
Sandy responded, “No.”
He said at that time, Duffey “was not aware of the reason” and added “there was certainly a desire to learn more about the rationale.” An August 7th memo direct to acting OMB Director Russell Vought apparently recommended lifting the hold on Ukraine aid.
Sandy said he recalled an email from early September (before the 9th), from Duffey, which “attributed the hold to the President’s concern about other countries not contributing more to Ukraine.”
The second testimony came from acting Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Philip Reeker. Reeker said he was aware of an “avalanche of very, very negative press stories” about Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, saying there was a general view that “there was never any proof” of the allegations against her, including the claim of a “do-not-prosecute list.”
Reeker testified to how people were keeping track of “U.S. media developments,” including nasty attacks on Yovanovitch. He said George Kent described four narratives emerging: 1) “that there had been undue pressure by the U.S., by Ambassador Yovanovitch… in the efforts against corruption,” 2) “a theme about 2016 collusion between Ukraine and the Clinton campaign,” 3) Hunter Biden and Burisma, and 4) the invocation of the Soros organization.
Reeker was asked if he was aware of “any validity to any of these four strands of accusations or allegations.” He said. “I was not.”
He also noted how questions kept coming in, “specifically on some of the FOX News programs of Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, we got a lot of questions about the allegations there.”
You can read them in full here and here.
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold their first hearing in the impeachment inquiry next week.
