After a grueling day of testimony Wednesday, Thursday brings us testimony from former National Security Council Russia expert Dr. Fiona Hill and foreign service officer David Holmes. Hill’s opening statement makes clear that this will be another day when Republicans take a beating from the facts, even though we’ve seen there’s no day of testimony so bad that they won’t try to declare victory.
Daily Kos will be following the proceedings all day.
Watch live:
Jim Jordan just very cleverly got Holmes to testify that *everybody* working on Ukraine fully understood that the President was pressing for a Biden investigation as a condition of getting a WH meeting. Well played, Jimbo.— David S. Bernstein (@dbernstein) November 21, 2019
Jim Jordan just very cleverly got Holmes to testify that *everybody* working on Ukraine fully understood that the President was pressing for a Biden investigation as a condition of getting a WH meeting. Well played, Jimbo.
Rep. Sewell encouraging Hill and soliciting commentary that the attacks are making her, and other members of the State Department and NSC, only makes them more determined.
Republican Rep. Turner not interested in asking an actual question, but is interested in smearing Fiona Hill. Waves the Nunes report at her again, saying “a little small effort on your part, Dr. Hill” … he may have out a$$holed Jim Jordan. It’s kind of amazing. And no, he’s not going to ask a question at all.
The word for Mike Turner would be — Coward. He threw a lot of insults, then retreated behind the rules without allowing anyone to respond.
Schiff jumps in with a short statement that completely kills claims earlier made by Ratcliffe.
I believe that Republican Rep. Wenstrup is leaning into calling Hill and Holmes disloyal with a narrative about how he served i the military while Bill Clinton was president. Oh, wait … Chalupa! … okay. Like Turner, Wenstrup isn’t actually interested in asking a question.
Turner and Ratcliffe have actually left the room.
Fiona Hill proves herself 1000x more of a mature adult than Wenstrup, Turner, or Ratcliffe.
Hill is being incredibly generous to Wenstrup, to Trump, to the Republicans as a whole, despite the fact that all of them just went out of their way to attack and smear her.
Which only makes the Republicans seem like bigger jackasses.
Rep. Speier solicits additional statement from Hill how she was engaged on “boring, standard, bilateral” policies over little things like national security and fighting corruption. But neither Giuliani nor Sondland were really interested in these things which were “quite boring.”
Well at least Republican Rep. Chris Stewart admits up front that he doesn’t have any questions and is just going to use five minutes to spin, spin, spin.
Rep Ratcliffe smeared Dr. Hill, called her names, accused her of wrongdoing, refused to let her answer his accusations, then packed up and fled the hearing room. That should stand as the defining moment of who and what Rep Ratcliff is.— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) November 21, 2019
Rep Ratcliffe smeared Dr. Hill, called her names, accused her of wrongdoing, refused to let her answer his accusations, then packed up and fled the hearing room. That should stand as the defining moment of who and what Rep Ratcliff is.
Oddly enough Democrats are continuing to address the witnesses, ask questions, and learn new information. Republicans are engaged in their afternoon stunt.
Rep. Stefanik opens her statement by claiming that Democrats said something that no one said … which is typical. But Stefanik gets points for actually asking a question, even if it was a pointless question where she already knew the answer.