Thread by @sambrodey

Welcome to Impeachment Day 3. I’m back in the room this morning and starting the day with a helping of JEFF VAN DREW, courtesy GOP

We're underway here in Longworth 1100.

For the third straight morning, someone on the GOP side of the dais has cracked a can of soda the moment Schiff begins his opening statement.

this might be a new one from Nunes: he raises the notion that the whistleblower's direct contact with the press "may be ongoing"

Nunes' media criticism segment closes with warning that Americans will get their news elsewhere because they have "learned to recognize fake news"

no mention of either of the witnesses on the stand today

In his opening statement, Vindman hits back on attacks against him and other witnesses:

"I want to state that the vile character attacks on these distinguished and honorable public servants is reprehensible."

more from @woodruffbets

thedailybeast.com/alexander-vind…

@woodruffbets Vindman says he didn't "take it as anything nefarious" that WH officials wanted to move Zelensky call record to a different server

"This is not unprecedented," he said, but added the decision was made "on the fly"

@woodruffbets Vindman making clear what he thinks of GOP questioning re: idea he'd join the Ukrainian gov't

"The whole notion is rather comical... It is funny for a Lt. Col. in the US Army to be offered that illustrious position"

"I'm an American... I immediately dismissed these offers."

@woodruffbets And witnesses are back in the room after a quick break.

A random note: the audience in the room is *not* the audience that stood and applauded for Marie Yovanovitch last wk: several groaned when Schiff started talking about the whistleblower. there is one MAGA cap.

@woodruffbets Nunes gives the bulk of his time to Jim Jordan, who—after thanking Vindman for his "service and sacrifice"—goes straight into concerns about Vindman's judgment, mentions leaking

Vindman: “I never did, never would, that is preposterous that I would do that”

@woodruffbets Rep. Jim Himes came to play today. Says GOP questioning of Vindman came in a "Brooks Brothers suit" and cloaked in "parliamentary language" but it gave rightwing media an opening to "question your loyalty"

Lone clap came from the audience when Himes finished

@woodruffbets of all the fights to pick—Rep. Stewart of Utah begins his questioning by going after Vindman correcting Nunes for not calling him by his military rank

@woodruffbets Rep. Jordan has spent more than half of his 5-minute time just riffing, no questions for witnesses: started with Trump winning an electoral college "landslide," now onto Comey, Mueller, Russia

@woodruffbets "The facts are on the president’s side," Jordan says, wrapping. No question to either Vindman or Williams in his 5-minute block.

he gets a "hear hear" from Rep. Meadows in the crowd

@woodruffbets Rep. Welch: I’ll say this to President Trump—if you want to investigate the Bidens, "Go at it. Do it hard, do it dirty. Just don’t do it by asking a foreign leader to help you in your campaign."

@woodruffbets HPSCI has barreled through the final set of lawmakers' questioning and open/closing statements—all while the House is voting—and they've wrapped Vindman/Williams hearing.

HALFTIME!

Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison will be up around 230pm.

@woodruffbets follow @ErinBanco who's going to be in the room for @thedailybeast during today's round 2

i'll still be following along but from a much warmer location

@woodruffbets @ErinBanco @thedailybeast "These hearings are meant to showcase a hand-picked group of witnesses," says Rep. Nunes, ahead of testimony from two witnesses the GOP specifically requested.

@woodruffbets @ErinBanco @thedailybeast VOLKER will say on the 3 amigos:

"I never used that term–and frankly cringe when I hear it–because for me, the “three amigos” will always refer to Senator John McCain, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and Senator Lindsey Graham, in reference to their work to support the surge in Iraq."

@woodruffbets @ErinBanco @thedailybeast After that opener, Gordon Sondland is somewhere under the bus.

i.e., VOLKER on the July 10 meeting: we all thought he was on a weird riff and moved on

@woodruffbets @ErinBanco @thedailybeast Nunes is now actually distancing himself from Volker and Morrison, who Rs wanted to testify, saying they are Democrats' witnesses

@woodruffbets @ErinBanco @thedailybeast Kurt Volker: "Sondland is a big personality" and sometimes says things that are "bigger than life"