Thread by @HoarseWisperer

Walked in the door just in time for the start of the Fiona Hill hearing.

Real-time coverage, comments and reactions here.

Here we go!

Feel free to mute this thread if not of interest.

1/

As Adam Schiff makes opening remarks, let's introduce our guest of honor.

Dr. Fiona Hill served in a senior role on the National Security Counsel as an expert on Soviet, Russian and European affairs.

She has been described as having a near-photographic memory.

Dr. Hill left the National Security Counsel in July.

She is regarded as a person of integrity devoted to the noble mission of advancing American foreign policy toward a Russia hobbled by kleptocracy and corruption under Putin's authoritarian leadership.

Joining Hill at the witness table is David Holmes.

Holmes serves as a counselor on foreign affairs within the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine.

He has been called , in part, due to his overhearing of a call between Sondland and Trump on 7/26 where Trump inquired about investigations.

Hill's testimony is likely to be the more important of the two and she will likely draw the majority of questions.

However, Holmes may be the sleeper here.

He was in the room for discussions re: Ukraine, aid, Giuliani, etc.... and he was excluded from the room other times.

It was Holmes who testified Sondland said Trump "Didn't give a shit about Ukraine."

After Sondland's testimony yesterday, expect Holmes to face questions about the roles of Pompeo, Bolton, Pence and Mulvaney.

He has the potential to add further firewood to the growing flames.

In his opening remarks, as he has done in each hearing, Chairman Schiff played back the narrative thread of the Ukraine shakedown and set the table for today's testimony by voicing over Hill's and Holmes' bios and prior testimony.

Nunes now delivering his usual insipid dross.

As he prattles on without value or importance, one note on the dynamics at play today.

Dr. Fiona Hill is no longer at the NSC. She has no reason to pull her punches. She is free to go scorched earth.

Sondland's testimony demonstrated that there is no penalty for that.

Conditions are right for more sharpness and a more scathing and direct indictment of Trump than we saw from earlier witnesses.

Today is teeing up to be far more electric and punishing for Trump than many likely expect.

This is going to be good...

If Nunes ever shuts up.

Nunes yields back... but not before mentioning Alexandra Chalupa for the nine trillionth time.

As it has in each prior hearing, the mention made me immediately think of Taco Bell chalupas... which reminded me that I skipped breakfast...

I now very much want tacos.

In my defense, I was rushing to/from school; had an errand to run; hit a ton of traffic; and was racing to get to a TV in time for this hearing.

Such is my sacrifice.

I am now vexed by visions of glorious tacos.

I'll fight through it.

David Holmes now delivering a prepared opening statement.

Describes his job as counselor as one of gathering information about the host country's politics.

Foreshadowing: He likely heard what Ukraine thought about Trump's shakedown

Holmes goes on to make clear he took notes at lots of meetings.

Also adds that he and his colleagues were operating under direction handed down from above.

Per the intro, we're going to be hearing much more about who set and conveyed that direction. Buckle up, Pompeo.

Holmes describes a sharp change in priorities away from appropriate foreign policy objectives toward priorities influenced or set by Giuliani, et al.

"That change began with [the smear campaign against Ambassador Yovanovitch]."

Holmes go on to debunk the smears.

David Holmes fun-fact:

In 2014, the American Foreign Service Association awarded him the William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent for "demonstrations of intellectual courage to challenge the system from within."

A person of integrity. Those are never good for Trump.

Holmes is now reading back excerpts of conversations and interactions which paint the general picture we have now heard described ad infinitum:

Giuliani meddling. Sondland bumping around in the halls. Vague agendas being served with irregular players and processes.

The emerging picture is of an embassy staffed with dedicated professionals and subject matter experts serving typical foreign policy priorities only to be suddenly overrun by political players parachuting in to scheme, plot, manipulate and hijack the work.

Holmes now playing back how he learned of the withholding of aid *on July 18th*.

Came at the end of a two-hour long video call with someone from Mulvaney's Office of Mgmt and Budget.

The official said the decision came directly from Trump.

Said it was conveyed by Mulvaney.

Holmes on his reaction to the read-out of Trump's 7/25 call.

"The President raised *none* of what I understood to be our foreign policy priorities."

Shares that Zelensky said Trump had "three times, raised sensitive issues Zelensky would have to follow up with him about."

Holmes now recalling how he was stymied from attending a meeting with Ukraine representative Yermak (with ties to Giuliani).

After being blocked from attending, Sondland invited Holmes to join him and two others at lunch...

...and it was there that Sondland called Trump.

Holmes relays what we have already heard was said on the call and after.

"Zelensky loves your ass." yadda yadda.

"[He] only cares about big stuff." meaning stuff that is big to him personally.

Holmes lays out corroborating details, follow-ups and people he told abt the above.

Like Sondland's opening statement yesterday, Holmes' is long, detailed, specific and chronological.

Like Sondland's, it lays out the full scope of players and events. Very thorough.

That is going to greatly reduce the amount of material to cover in the questioning rounds

After finishing his walk-through of events, Holmes delivers the first big soundbite of the day.

Explains that he basically was called to come forward in response to the lies about a lack of firsthand proof of Trump’s direct involvement.

“While I have been here in Washington, two Ukrainians have been killed by Russian forces and seven others injured.”

“We have no better friends than Ukraine. [...] They deserve better.”

This will be a recurrent theme of the day.

Trump’s crimes were not victimless.

His hijacking of foreign policy for personal gain was not merely a failed attempt without harm.

It harmed our ally at the very moment of their greatest oppty to advance.

Holmes concludes. Hill begins her prepared remarks.

Opens with a synopsis of Ukrainian history and her personal background as an advisor on Russian foreign policy.

“Some of you on this committee appear to believe Russia did not [meddle in our election but Ukraine did]. This is a fictional narrative.”

“Russia’s goal is to weaken our country.”

“I refuse to be part of a narrative that the Ukrainian government is an adversary.”

Goes on to rail against the poisoning of foreign policy and national interests to “further domestic political interests.”

Dr. Fiona Hill ain’t here to play.

She speaks with a crisp British accent and carries herself with the sober seriousness of someone who suffers no fools and admits no impediments to honesty or truth.

Hill kept her remarks brief and concluded quickly.

Schiff opens the majority block of questioning.

Opens by giving Hill a platform for an incisive, biting takedown of Russian objectives and meddling. As crisp and sharp as any you'll see.

Hill is like a sobering smack to the face.

She strips away the obfuscating spin of politicians with the goal of muddying the waters.

She is blunt, clear and direct. She leaves no room for subjective dispute.

She is going to devour Jim Jordan whole.

And on that note, as an aside, during the last ten minutes, I raced to 7/11. En route, I saw a vulture plucking the last meat from the bones of a road-killed squirrel.

Perfect metaphor for what Hill is going to do to the already worm-eaten carcass of Repub's alibis and excuses.

I also replenished my coffee and wolfed down a remarkably unsatisfactory pasty.

My taco dreams have been abated but not relieved.

There will be tacos at some point.

Majority counsel Dan Goldman takes over the questioning.

Opens by probing Holmes about a meeting with President Zelensky where he said Trump had three times pressed him about sensitive issues.

Holmes testifies he came to understand the issues were Biden and investigations.

Now walking Holmes through a more detailed retelling of the overheard phone call btwn Sondland and Trump.

Describes Sondland as wincing and pulling the phone away from his ear due to how loud Trump was coming through.

Goes on to again replay Trump asking if Zelensky was onboard

Holmes again replays an exchange with Sondland after that basically went as follows:

Sondland: Trump doesn't give a shit about Ukraine. He only cares about big stuff.

Holmes: Well, there's some big stuff going on... ya know, a war with Russia.

Sondland: No, big stuff about him

Holmes explains that the entire set of events around the meeting he was excluded from, the lunch he attended, the call btwn Sondy and Trump, and the subsequent chat with Sondland were highly memorable.

Of course, they were. The Trump Admin was up to no good and everyone knew it.

Goldman turns questioning toward Hill and the 7/25 call.

Hill declines to offer any characterization of the call in relation to other calls. Will not compare it to other calls since that would draw on impressions from calls she regards as likely privileged.

While minor, things like that have the effect of reinforcing that Hill, like other witnesses, is in no hurry to bury Trump specifically.

Instead, she is operating within the bounds of duty and sharing facts as a fact-witness.

Goldman now walking through excerpts from Trump's call with Zelensky.

The key points:

1) Trump was spewing conspiracy theories
2) Trump had been told they were false
3) He believed Rudy Giuliani anyway

Holmes now relating the reasons why Russia would promote the conspiracy theories Trump happily gobbled up.

Goldman: Was President Trump adopting Putin's view over the views of [his own people]?

Hill artfully suggests the answer is yes without saying Trump got them from Putin

David Holmes just testified that even commentators in the Ukraine knew Giuliani and a discredited prosecutor, Lutshenko, had managed to push out Ambassador Yovanovitch for her refusal to lend credence to their horseshit conspiracy theories.

Commentators in Ukraine - the country Trump has called one of the most corrupt in the world - know corruption when they see it.

And when Marie Yovanovitch was pushed out, they knew they were seeing it.

Trump claims to care about corruption. Ukrainians know his atty is corrupt.

Dr. Hill now testifying that Trump was under the impression one of Devin Nunes' flunkies in the State Department, Kash Patel, was the lead expert on Ukraine.

He was not. Lt. Col. Vindman was.

Hill believes Trump was under that impression because Patel had been feeding him info.

Put the pieces together there.

Trump believed a dizzying array of bullshit conspiracy theories.

The very same conspiracy theories Devin Nunes has now rolled out in every opening and closing statement this past week.

One of Devin Nunes' boys were spoonfeeding Trump info.

Perhaps Dirty Devin is fighting so mightily in these hearings, in part, because the seeds of this entire affair were planted by his own efforts to whip Trump into a frenzy about nonexistent meddling by Ukraine to help Hillary.

Nunes has his fingerprints on the disinfo here.

Hill just testified that Sondland had an agreement with Mick Mulvaney that a meeting with Ukraine would be scheduled upon agreement to investigate Burisma.

Boom.

Mick Mulvaney, welcome to the hotseat.

Dr. Hill goes on to play back Bolton's refusal to be a part of the "drug deal" of conditioning a meeting on investigations.

Adds that she reported the above to "the attorneys" which included NSC attorney Eisenberg (the same person who led the hiding of the call transcript).

Majority counsel Dan Goldman wraps up his questioning.

Schiff sends the meeting into recess to allow for a vote.

When we return, the inept dunce, Devin Nunes, and his meandering garden weasel colleague, Steve Castor, will be up for their 45-minute block of time.

And you know what that means.

It's taco time.

If you are inclined to throw taco money in my jar via the links in my bio, I will raise their crunchy shells in a toast to you.

This is hungry work.

One programming note:

I am going to pick up the hearing when it is back on but have some parental running around to do for portions of the 2:30-4:30 window.

Hopefully, I’ll miss little.

This long adjournment isn’t helping though.