InfoSearched
Published -
- November 15, 2019
- 1:36 pm
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who will testify Friday at the second public hearing in the Trump impeachment inquiry, has served under six presidents.
Behind closed doors, Yovanovitch testified that she believed Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, was calling for her removal. Margaret Brennan joins “CBS This Morning” to talk about what to expect from the hearing.
What was William Taylor’s closed-door testimony last month and why was it seen as “damning” by lawmakers?
The second day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is expected to feature testimonies from two key witnesses who are expected to shed more light on the alleged pressure campaign to get Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political opponents.
William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, will testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, November 13.
Taylor’s closed-door testimony last month was described as “damning” by lawmakers after he detailed the attempts by Trump administration officials, including the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, to push for investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Kent, on the other hand, is expected to provide insights into the broader U.S. foreign policy towards Ukraine and his concerns about Giuliani’s involvement in the country’s affairs.
The witnesses’ testimonies, which will be broadcast live on television and online, come amid intense political and public scrutiny of the impeachment inquiry. The hearings are being seen as a critical juncture in the process that could ultimately decide the fate of Trump’s presidency.
So far, the inquiry has focused on a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump urged Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and a debunked conspiracy theory about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
While Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the inquiry a “witch hunt,” Democrats have accused the president of abusing his power for personal gain and undermining national security.
The second day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry is expected to provide more detail and context to the allegations against Trump, as well as a glimpse into the defense strategy of the president’s allies.
The hearings will also be a crucial opportunity for lawmakers to make their case to the American public, who must ultimately decide if Trump’s actions warrant impeachment.
Overall, the second day of public hearings is set to be a significant event in the ongoing impeachment saga, and will likely provide plenty of new developments and insights into one of the most controversial episodes in U.S. political history.
