The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, praised Lt. Col. Alex Vindman’s testimony today and slammed the attacks on him over his Ukrainian origins.

Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, faced attacks by President Trump and Republicans ahead of his testimony.

Schiff, a Democrat from California, also criticized Trump and his allies in Congress over their attacks on the whistleblower, though he did not mention any efforts inside the room to out the whistleblower’s identity.

“They have the right to remain anonymous,” Schiff said of whistleblowers.” They certainly should not be subject to these kind of vicious attacks and other words and actions that threaten their safety for doing their patriotic duty.”

Schiff did not respond to questions about the whistleblower.

Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, has just wrapped up his deposition with House impeachment investigators.

Vindman testified for more than 10 hours today.

Some background: Vindman, a decorated veteran of the Iraq War with a lengthy military record, planned to tell lawmakers he was so troubled by President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president that he reported his concerns to a superior, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by CNN.

The Justice Department and the House have asked a federal judge to postpone a court hearing Thursday regarding impeachment witness Charles Kupperman’s testimony.

Judge Richard Leon has not yet responded.

Leon had scheduled the hearing after Kupperman, who served until last month as deputy national security adviser at the White House, asked the court whether he needed to testify. The House has subpoenaed Kupperman, but the White House had blocked him from testifying on Monday, claiming absolute immunity for White House officials in the impeachment probe. 

The House and Justice Department agreed to seek the postponement, according to today’s filing, because they are attending another court hearing happening the same afternoon before a different judge. That case is also about the immunity from Congressional testimony for another White House staffer, former White House Counsel Don McGahn, as the House seeks his testimony in its impeachment probe.

Both sides have asked Leon to reschedule the Kupperman court hearing for sometime before Nov. 6.

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has paused the deadline this week the Justice Department had to turn over grand jury secrets from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation to the House.

The court said the deadline will be suspended “pending further order of the court.” This will allow the appeals court to consider arguments on a lower-court judge’s ruling last Friday.

About the ruling: DC District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell ordered the Justice Department to release grand jury information redacted from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation to the House. Howell’s decision to share the grand jury details with the House was significant because it underlined the legal validity of the impeachment effort, which the Trump administration has questioned as it attempts to stonewall the House probe.

The Justice Department has appealed that ruling and asked for the stay on the deadline.

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, testified today that the White House’s rough transcript was mostly accurate in describing the contents of the July 25 phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president, but there were a couple of changes he would have made, according to multiple sources familiar with the testimony.

Vindman said that he would have made edits to the transcript, the sources said, who added they were only minor changes. One of the edits Vindman said he would have made was to specifically say Burisma rather than just “the company.” Burisma is the company that hired former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.

“He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue,” the rough transcript cites Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying. 

Vindman also testified that he spoke to his twin brother, who works in the National Security Council’s ethics office, to discuss his concerns about the July 25 call, according to multiple sources.

In the hearing, Republicans questioned why there weren’t more people who raised concerns to the National Security Council lawyers about the call, according to sources. He responded that he was unaware of what his colleagues chose to do.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell went to extraordinary lengths today to avoid giving substantive answers to direct questions about the allegations made by Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the first current White House official to testify in the House impeachment inquiry about President Trump’s controversial call with the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of the probe.

McConnell was pressed by a reporter about Vindman’s testimony at his weekly news conference in the Capitol, as several other members of the Senate GOP leadership stood stoically — and silently — behind him.

Notably, the Kentucky Republican’s nonresponses came just a day after Trump had implored congressional Republicans to spend more energy defending his actions on that phone call, which he has described as “perfect,” and not just to complain about the closed-door investigative process by House Democrats.

“Concerning Col. Vindman’s testimony, what he heard on the President’s call, that conversation with the Ukrainian leader was so concerning that he worried it might undermine US national security. Does it concern you? Are you worried about the President’s behavior at all?” the reporter asked McConnell. 

In response, the GOP Senate leader answered a different question, one that was never asked, about charges from some of Trump’s supporters that Vindman might not be patriotic because he was born in Ukraine.

“I’m not gonna question the patriotism of any of the people who are coming forward,” McConnell volunteered.

He then shifted topics to speak about a key impeachment resolution the House is set to vote on Thursday — one that is expected open up the investigative process — something Republicans have pressed for but were still waiting to see the final language of to determine whether they considered it satisfactory.

Keep reading here.

Two State Department experts on Ukraine are slated to become the latest diplomats thrust into the spotlight as part of the House impeachment inquiry.

Catherine Croft and Christopher Anderson are scheduled to testify in separate closed-door hearings before the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees tomorrow.

Kathryn Wheelbarger, acting assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security, was also scheduled to testify tomorrow, but an official working on the impeachment inquiry said her deposition will be rescheduled for a future date.

Here’s who else is scheduled to testify this week:

The House Judiciary Committee and former White House counsel Don McGahn haven’t been able to negotiate a way for him to testify in the impeachment inquiry, the committee told a federal judge this afternoon.

The Trump administration has tried to put limits on how he could testify, such as an interview not being included in the current impeachment probe. The House said that’s unacceptable, and has separately made clear that McGahn would be a key witness in examining whether President Trump obstructed justice.

The House said it’s been trying this month to negotiate McGahn’s appearance, which they’ve been seeking for nearly half a year.

“The parties have spoken on several occasions since October 1, 2019, when McGahn raised the notion that the White House Counsel’s Office would ‘consider an interview’ of him by the Committee, and the Committee has offered a variety of accommodations in a good faith effort to pursue a compromise,” lawyers for the House wrote on Tuesday. “In response, however, the White House has insisted on terms that are unacceptable to the Committee.”

What we know: The House, Justice Department and McGahn attorneys will be in court arguing over his refusal to testify on Thursday. The arguments are scheduled to happen at nearly the same time another impeachment witness, Charles Kupperman, is in court over the White House’s assertion he is immune from testifying. The White House made similar claims, keeping McGahn from testifying as well.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham slammed the Democrats’ resolution to formalize the impeachment proceedings against President Trump in a new statement today.

“This resolution does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the Administration,” she said.

Read Grisham’s full statement:

“The resolution put forward by Speaker Pelosi confirms that House Democrats’ impeachment has been an illegitimate sham from the start as it lacked any proper authorization by a House vote.
It continues this scam by allowing Chairman Schiff, who repeatedly lies to the American people, to hold a new round of hearings, still without any due process for the President.
The White House is barred from participating at all, until after Chairman Schiff conducts two rounds of one-sided hearings to generate a biased report for the Judiciary Committee. Even then, the White House’s rights remain undefined, unclear, and uncertain – because those rules still haven’t been written. 
This resolution does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the Administration.”

Congressional impeachment committees plan to request an interview with Brian McCormack, the associate director for natural resources, energy and science at the Office of Management and Budget, two sources tell CNN.

If McCormack refuses to comply, the committees are likely to follow up with a subpoena.

About McCormack: He was previously the chief of staff at the Department of Energy, but he departed last month for his new role at OMB.

OMB and McCormack did not respond to requests for comment.

It was another busy day on Capitol Hill today. This week will get even busier as more witnesses are set to testify and the House prepares to vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry.

Let’s catch you up…

In today’s episode of “The Daily DC: Impeachment Watch,” CNN Political Director David Chalian looks at: 

Chalian is joined by CNN legal analyst Ross Garber and Marshall Cohen, a CNN writer and producer.

Listen to the podcast here.

The chairs from four House committees released a joint statement this afternoon following the publication of the impeachment resolution.

In the statement, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, acting chairwoman of the Oversight committee, said: “The evidence we have already collected paints the picture of a President who abused his power by using multiple levers of government to press a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 election.”

The statement added that “soon the American people will hear from witnesses in an open setting.”

They say that “the next phase” of the impeachment inquiry “will move from closed depositions to open hearings where the American people will learn firsthand about the President’s misconduct.”

The House impeachment resolution released today outlines how the President and White House Counsel will be allowed to participate in the proceedings.

The resolution includes language saying that the White House will be able to “present their case and respond to evidence” during “impeachment proceedings held by the Committee on the Judiciary.”

The resolution also states that the White House will be able to…

However, the resolution also includes language to sanction the White House if the Committee Chair determines that the White House is refusing to cooperate with requests from Congress.

“If the President unlawfully refuses to cooperate with Congressional requests, the Chair shall have the discretion to impose appropriate remedies, including by denying specific requests by the President or his counsel,” the resolution states.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner slammed Democrats’ moves toward impeachment as “silly games” and insisted that President Trump “hasn’t done anything wrong” in an interview with Israel’s Channel 13.

Kushner also argued that “the American people are sick and tired” of the continuous stream of investigations.

“They’ve been trying to impeach the President for the last three years or get him out of office and they have been unsuccessful at that. The best thing going for the President is that he hasn’t done anything wrong,” Kushner said.

He said Democrats have “investigated him over and over and over again and I think the American people are sick and tired of it.”

Kushner, who was in Israel to meet with government officials including Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, said Trump’s “record of accomplishments is unimpeachable.”

“He’s going to continue to do things the American people care about,” he said.

Kushner has not talked extensively about the impeachment matter. His wife, Ivanka Trump, told Fox News earlier this month the President would prioritize his governing agenda while the impeachment process proceeds.

Kushner struck a similar note in the interview in Israel.

“If in Congress, if they want to be part of the work we’re doing to try to make the country stronger and the country more prosperous, we welcome them to join us,” he said. “If they want to play silly games, we’ll obviously deal with that in an appropriate manner. But we’re not going to let that distract us as an administration.”

The House Rules Committee has released the resolution that the House will vote on Thursday to formalize the impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

The text of the resolution lays out how the House Intelligence Committee will conduct public hearings and how the Judiciary Committee ” shall report to the House of Representatives such resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as it deems proper.”

For the public hearings, the resolution includes language allowing the chairman and ranking member of the Intelligence Committee to question witnesses for up to 90 minutes, and it also allows them to give that time to committee aides to conduct questioning. 

The resolution also states that the minority may request witnesses to be called and issue subpoenas — but those subpoenas can only be issued ” with the concurrence of the chair,” meaning that Democrats would have to sign off on any Republican-led subpoenas. 

The resolution says that the House Intelligence Committee will write a report ” setting forth its findings and any recommendations” and that the report will be transmitted to the Judiciary Committee and be made public.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was just asked to comment on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s testimony and if it concerns him.

McConnell said, “I’m not going to question the patriotism of any of the people coming forward.” 

The Kentucky Republican repeatedly declined to answer questions about what he makes of Vindman’s allegations and said, “I’m not going to comment on the merits of what’s going forward.”

Some background: Today, Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, is testifying. He plans to tell House impeachment investigators that he was so troubled by President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president that he reported his concerns to a superior, according to a copy of his statement obtained by CNN.

Some Republicans have criticized Vindman, who earned a Purple Heart for his military service in Iraq. Former GOP Rep. Sean Duffy said, “It seems very clear that he is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense.”

Trump also joined in the criticism of Vindman, claiming without evidence on Twitter this morning that he is a “Never Trumper.”

Rep. Jim Jordan, a ranking Republican on the House Oversight committee, attacked Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for objecting to a GOP line of questioning and preventing Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from answering questions during today’s deposition.

Jordan said they were not seeking to “out” the whistleblower, but wanted to know who Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, was speaking with.

“We are just trying to get information that we are entitled to get and the witness is supposed to answer our questions,” the Ohio Republican said.

Asked if he wants to know the identity of the whistleblower, Jordan said, “the American public” wants to know.

Asked about claims that Republican lawmakers are trying to out the anonymous whistleblower, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “they shouldn’t even go near that.”

“Outing the whistleblower is an unpatriotic action. They shouldn’t even go near that,” she said.

What we know: House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff objected to a line of questioning from Republicans, which Democrats contended was an effort to out the whistleblower during today’s closed deposition with White House official Alexander Vindman, according to five sources from both parties.

Republicans pushed back, arguing they were simply asking questions about who Vindman might have spoken with — and it was not an effort to out the whistleblower.

Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, is on Capitol Hill today, testifying before the House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

It’ll be another busy day tomorrow, when three more witnesses are scheduled to testify. They are…

On Thursday, the House is expecting to hear from Timothy Morrison, a top Russia and Europe adviser on the National Security Council.

Morrison’s testimony is viewed as key: He was on the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. Top US diplomat to Ukraine Bill Taylor — who gave explosive testimony directly tying Trump to a quid pro quo — mentioned Morrison 15 times during his opening statement to the committees.

Two Republican senators are speaking out to defend Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, against attacks about his patriotism by fellow lawmakers.

Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient, faced criticism today when he appeared today for his deposition before lawmakers conducting the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Sen. Mitt Romney called the attacks “very unfortunate.”

“I think that is misplaced, very unfortunate. This man is a decorated American serviceman and I have full confidence in him as an individual and his patriotism,” the Utah Republican said.

Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said “it would be mistake to attack” Vindman’s patriotism.

“I don’t at all question his patriotism. I respect his service. He’s a Purple Heart and I think it would be mistake to attack his patriotism,” the senator said.

Vindman served multiple overseas tours as a US infantry officer, including a deployment to Iraq where he received the Purple Heart after being wounded in an IED attack. He has served in Trump’s National Security Council since 2018.

About the criticism: Speaking about Vindman, former GOP Rep. Sean Duffy said: “It seems very clear that he is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense.”

Trump also joined in the criticism of Vindman, claiming without evidence on Twitter that the White House’s top Ukraine expert is a “Never Trumper.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, entered the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, today.

The SCIF is a secured place where sensitive information can be viewed and discussed without the risk of spying. It can be any size or any place, including a closet or an entire building.

Nadler declined to comment what he was doing at the SCIF but he was with his top aides who are working on the impeachment inquiry.

The impeachment resolution to be voted on this week will formalize a process that will allow his committee to review the evidence gathered in probe.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat on the House Oversight committee, spoke to reporters about her perception of Republicans in today’s hearing with the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. 

“What the Republicans are trying to do in there, very clearly in their questioning, is try to front-door or backdoor Lt. Col. Vindman into revealing who the whistleblower is, even though in his testimony, he said he didn’t know,” she said. 

Wasserman Schultz said that is how Republicans spent “most of their hour”

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff objected to a line of questioning from Republicans, which Democrats contended was an effort to out the whistleblower during today’s closed deposition, according to five sources from both parties.

The moment happened at today’s hearing with White House official Alexander Vindman.

Republicans pushed back, arguing they were simply asking questions about who Vindman might have spoken with — and it was not an effort to out the whistleblower.

The back-and-forth led to a heated exchange between Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and GOP Rep. Mark Meadows, according to multiple sources. Other members joined in.

The House Judiciary Committee argued to a federal judge today that it has an “urgent” need for access to grand jury secrets from the Mueller probe.

The Trump administration had appealed a decision giving the House access to the details by Thursday, and is asking the courts to step in to pause the handover of grand jury transcripts, exhibits and currently redacted details in the Mueller report.

“The public interest demands a swift but thorough impeachment investigation,” the House wrote in its filing. “Delay in this case would not only hinder the House’s ability to consider impeachment quickly, but also enhance DOJ’s ability to run out the clock on the Committee’s impeachment inquiry altogether. “

The House argued it wants to see the details both for its Ukraine impeachment investigation and in examining whether the President attempted to obstruct the Russia investigation, which Mueller thoroughly investigated.

Despite saying last month that he was preparing to release transcripts of his calls with the president of the Ukraine, Vice President Mike Pence’s office still has not done so — and there are now questions being raised about whether he ever will.

Officials debated waiting before releasing them for dramatic effect, but they have since put plans to do so on hold. An administration official said that’s because it’s still being reviewed by White House lawyers, though it only took a matter of days for the White House to review and release a transcript of President Trump’s call with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.

There had been questions internally about what the point of releasing the transcripts were, given the reaction to the President’s own. Officials have downplayed what’s in Pence’s transcripts.

At the House Democratic caucus weekly presser, caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries repeatedly defended the decision to hold an impeachment inquiry process vote on the floor this week as reporters pressed him over the political wisdom of such a move given that it will put vulnerable Democratic members on the record over a contentious issue. 

“Every member will have to make a decision based on their conscience and how they decide to most effectively represent the districts they are privileged to serve,” Jeffries said, adding, “The overwhelming majority of the House Democratic caucus are publicly on record supporting the impeachment inquiry.” 

Asked by a reporter if he worries that it will put some members at risk, Jeffries flatly replied, “No.”

Jeffries and caucus vice chair Katherine Clark criticized Republicans for their attacks on the process, arguing that the President’s party has no viable argument to defend the President on the substance of what happened.

“My Republican colleagues continue to embarrass themselves because they cannot defend the indefensible as it relates to the President’s abuse of power,” Jeffries said. “My colleagues in the Republican cover-up caucus will ultimately have to decide when will they put the Constitution ahead of corruption? That’s not clear and it’s unfortunate that they continue to do the bidding of Donald Trump and behave like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration.”

House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney said in a press conference this morning that questioning Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s patriotism and dedication to the United States is “shameful.”

She continued: “We’re talking about decorated veterans who have served this nation, who’ve put their lives on the line, and it is shameful to question their patriotism, their love of this nation, and we should not be involved in that process.”

Vindman — who serves as the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert — is testifying right now.

What’s this about: Earlier today, former GOP Rep. Sean Duffy said about Vindman: “It seems very clear that he is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense.”

President Trump also joined in the criticism of Vindman, claiming without evidence on Twitter that the White House’s top Ukraine expert is a “Never Trumper.”

Vindman served multiple overseas tours as a US infantry officer, including a deployment to Iraq where he received a Purple Heart after being wounded in an IED attack. He has served in Trump’s National Security Council since 2018.

A subpoena was issued this morning for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s testimony, an official working on the impeachment inquiry tells CNN.

Here’s how the official put it: 

“In light of an attempt by the White House to direct Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman not to appear for his scheduled deposition, and efforts by the White House to also limit any testimony that does occur, the House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to compel his testimony this morning.

The official said Vindman — the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, who arrived at the Capitol this morning wearing full military uniform — is now “complying with the subpoena and answering questions from both Democratic and Republican Members and staff.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was asked about the testimony this morning of White House staffer Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman in the impeachment inquiry.

“I thank him for his service, but he is wrong,” McCarthy said at GOP leadership’s weekly press conference.

Vindman — who was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq — is the National Security Council staffer in charge of Ukraine. He was on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine’s president.

About Vindman’s testimony: He plans to tell House impeachment investigators that he was so troubled by Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president that he reported his concerns to a superior, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by CNN.

“I do not question this man’s service to this country, but people have different philosophical beliefs,” McCarthy added about Vindman.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the Democrats’ decision to hold a vote to formalize the procedures of the impeachment probe into President Trump proves the inquiry was always a “scam.”

Yesterday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the Thursday vote — something that Republicans and the White House had called for. The vote undercuts the key Trump administration talking point that the inquiry was illegitimate because it did not receive a full House vote.

McCarthy said “a due process starts at the beginning,” and claimed the impeachment inquiry would still be illegitimate despite the vote.

“If this was before any court it would have been a mistrial,” he said.

Rep. Jim Jordan told reporters this morning that testimony from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the White House’s top Ukraine expert and a decorated veteran, would not change the “fundamental facts” surrounding the phone call between President Trump and Ukraine President Zelensky.

He also pointed to Thursday’s scheduled vote in the House, saying that it shows Democrats “realize this process is completely unfair, partisan.”

The House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry into President Trump are seeking testimony from Robert Blair, an assistant to the President and senior adviser to White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, a source familiar with the request told CNN.

The committees investigating Trump have requested Blair — who was on the line during Trump’s July call with Ukraine’s president — come testify about White House policy toward Ukraine.

Why this matters: He is the first current West Wing official known to have been asked to come testify.

The committees are still in talks with Blair, and it is not clear if he will agree to testify voluntarily. House committees have already needed to issue subpoenas to current and former administration officials because of White House efforts to block their testimony.

Blair and the White House did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.

The request raises the prospect of more depositions even as the committees prepare to move toward the public phase of this impeachment inquiry.

Who is Blair: Blair, who previously served as associate director for national security programs in the Office of Management and Budget, followed Mulvaney to the West Wing in January as his national security adviser after he became acting chief of staff.

While Mulvaney was not on the call, Blair was one of just a small group of officials on the line during Trump’s controversial call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Before joining the Trump administration, Blair served as staff director on the House Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations.

President Trump is now specifically targeting Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who just arrived on the Hill for testimony, as a “Never Trumper” in a new tweet.

There is no indication Vindman — who served multiple overseas tours as an infantry officer, including a deployment to Iraq where he received a Purple Heart after being wounded in an IED attack — is a “Never Trumper.”

Vindman has served in Trump’s National Security Council post since 2018,

The National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, just arrived on Capitol Hill for testimony in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

According to his prepared remarks, Vindman — who was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq — plans to tell the House committee members how his family fled to the US from the Soviet Union when he was a child.

“The privilege of serving my country is not only rooted in my military service, but also in my personal history. I sit here, as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, an immigrant,” he will say, according to his remarks. “My family fled the Soviet Union when I was three and a half years old. Upon arriving in New York City in 1979, my father worked multiple jobs to support us, all the while learning English at night. He stressed to us the importance of fully integrating into our adopted country.”

He’ll continue: “For many years, life was quite difficult. In spite of our challenging beginnings, my family worked to build its own American dream. I have a deep appreciation for American values and ideals and the power of freedom. I am a patriot, and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend OUR country, irrespective of party or politics.”

According to his remarks, Vindman served “multiple overseas tours, including South Korea and Germany and a deployment to Iraq for combat operations.”

“In Iraq, I was wounded in an IED attack and awarded a Purple Heart,” he’ll say.

Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman just arrived on Capitol Hill to testify in the impeachment inquiry.

Vindman, The National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, will be the first White House official who was on Trump’s July 25 Trump call with Ukraine’s president to testify.

President Trump continues to lash out on Twitter in the moments before Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testifies on Capitol Hill. Remember: Vindman will be the first White House official who was on Trump’s July 25 Trump call with Ukraine’s president to do so. 

In a tweet, Trump said he “knew people were listening in on the call (why would I say something inappropriate?), which was fine with me, but why so many?”

He’s also been critical of Democrats in the morning tweets and has retweeted many Republican allies and Laura Ingraham. 

 Here are some of his tweets:

The House will vote on Thursday to formalize the procedures of its impeachment probe into Trump.

So what happens after that? House Democrats are discussing a time frame that would include public impeachment hearings before Thanksgiving and votes on whether to impeach Trump by Christmas, according to multiple Democratic sources.

However, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi did not put a time frame on it at a closed-door leadership meeting yesterday to discuss the resolution and she has been hesitant to do so, as the timing is subject to change depending on how witnesses cooperate or if additional leads come up, according to multiple Democrats.

Remember, the impeachment process can take months. Take the three presidents who have faced impeachment as examples:

The House is moving toward the next phase of its impeachment inquiry, setting up a vote later this week on procedures that could quickly lead to President Trump becoming the third president in US history to be impeached.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday the House would vote on Thursday to formalize the procedures of the impeachment inquiry into Trump and Ukraine, in what will be the first time the House will go on the record on the proceedings.

What this means: The vote signals a move into the next stage of the investigation following several weeks of closed-door depositions, as Democrats said the resolution would establish rules for public hearings, provide due process rights for the White House and allow information to be transferred to the committee that would ultimately consider the articles of impeachment.

A July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is at the heart of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

It will likely come up a lot today: The National Security Council staffer in charge of Ukraine, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, is expected to testify today. He is the first person who was actually on the call to testify in front of House investigators.

The call came to light after a whistleblower complaint alleged that Trump had solicited foreign interference to dig up information on a political rival and the White House tried to cover it up.

The White House last moth released a transcript of the call. It showed the President repeatedly pushed for Zelensky investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter. There’s no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden.

The National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — is scheduled to be Tuesday’s blockbuster witness.

Here’s a closer look at who he is:

Hours before the first administration official who was on the July 25 Trump-Zelensky call is expected to testify on the Hill, President Trump is questioning why “people that I never even heard of” are testifying about the call. 

Some background: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is expected to testify, per his opening statement, that he twice reported concerns about Trump’s pressure on Ukraine. The National Security Council’s (NSC) top Ukraine expert plans to say he felt an investigation into the Bidens would undermine national security and reported his concerns to NSC’s lead counsel.

Here’s Trump’s tweet:

Trump has also retweeted a series of other tweets this morning, and he quote-tweeted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s reaction to the impeachment inquiry vote expected this Thursday, adding, “Correct, a total scam!”

Late breaking news on Monday night has set up another big day on Capitol Hill as the prepared testimony from one of Trump’s National Security Council experts – Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman – became public.

Here’s a look at some of the key lines from his statement.

On the geopolitical importance of Ukraine:

Since 2008, Russia has manifested an overtly aggressive foreign policy, leveraging military power and employing hybrid warfare to achieve its objectives of regional hegemony and global influence. Absent a deterrent to dissuade Russia from such aggression, there is an increased risk of further confrontations with the West. In this situation, a strong and independent Ukraine is critical to US national security interests because Ukraine is a frontline state and a bulwark against Russian aggression.

On outside influencers:

When I joined the NSC in July 2018, I began implementing the administration’s policy on Ukraine. In the Spring of 2019, I became aware of outside influencers promoting a false narrative of Ukraine inconsistent with the consensus views of the interagency. This narrative was harmful to US government policy. While my interagency colleagues and I were becoming increasingly optimistic on Ukraine’s prospects, this alternative narrative undermined US government efforts to expand cooperation with Ukraine.

On Trump’s call congratulating Zelenskyy on election victory:

On July 25, 2019, the call occurred. I listened in on the call in the Situation Room with colleagues from the NSC and the office of the Vice President. As the transcript is in the public record, we are all aware of what was said.
I was concerned by the call. I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the US government’s support of Ukraine. I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained. This would all undermine US national security. Following the call, I again reported my concerns to NSC’s lead counsel.

Five witnesses are scheduled to speak to the investigators this week on Capitol Hill.

Here’s what the schedule looks like:

Morrison’s testimony is viewed as key. He was on the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. Top US diplomat to Ukraine Bill Taylor — who gave explosive testimony directly tying Trump to a quid pro quo — mentioned Morrison 15 times during his opening statement to the committees.

Here are the latest developments in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.