Thread by @BBuchman_CNS

Hill, a woman who had considerable power as a member of the National Security Council, relays background on the conflict between her and Sondland.
"When women show anger it isn't appreciated, it's pushed off as emotional issues or deflected to other people."

Hill: "I listened to Sondland's deposition. He wasn't coordinating with us because he wasn't fully telling us about all the meetings. He said to me, I'm briefing Mulvaney Pompeo, Bolton, who else do I have to deal with?"

She continues: "The point is we have a robust interagency process that deals w/Taylor, ambassadors, other people. But when you put up Sondland's emails, it showed he was being involved in a domestic political errand and we were involved in domestic foreign policy."

"I was angry with him and told him, I think this is all going to blow up," Fiona Hill testifies. "And here we are."

She said Sondland beleived the NSC was "always trying to block him." What we were trying to do was block U.S. from straying into domestic or personal politics...I wasn't being fair to Sondland. He was carrying out what he had been instructed to carry out."

She adds: What NSC did officially belonged to one channel, Sondland's activities unfolded in another another.

45 min rounds over. We will move into member questions. Schiff warns committee they must be careful with how they frame questions. One of the items suggested to Hill: Pence canceled trip to Ukr. because he was in Canada.
For the record: it was POTUS who decided Pence not go.

Witnesses like Hill and Vindman have faced accusations of "dual loyalty" (She's originally from England) but Hill emphasizes, her loyalty will always be America first.

The July 10 meeting:
Sondland told Hill to "hold back the room," Sondland wanted to take a photograph with Perry and Ukr. officials, just outside Bolton's office.
At that point, Sondland came back in, they went to the board room.

On the way out of Bolton office, Sondland said "Let's go to the board room for huddle/next steps."
Hill: "That was unusual. We don't usually huddle in a room in WH to discuss next steps with delegations."
Hill came into the boardroom, Vindman and Sondland were "in an exchange."

"That's when I noticed Vindman looked quite alarmed."
There were some questions about yelling and shouting. There wasn't yelling. That might have been exaggerated in media reports, Hill says.

Secy Perry had left when Hill came in and asked what was happening.
"So Perry has no recollection of the meeting cus he wasn't there," Hill says.
At this point, Sondland said he had a meeting w/Mulvaney to discuss if Ukr. open up investigations into '16.

Hill was familiar with it because at this point Giuliani had been talking about this openly.
"It was clear Burisma was code for the Bidens. I could see why Vindman was alarmed. He said they couldn't be involved. He already issued warnings to Ukr about staying out of US politics

It was inappropriate for them to hash out conflict in front of Ukrainians, Hill said. That's when Hill pushed back on Sondland and said Look, I know there's differences about when we should have this mtg.

They wanted to have ithe mtg after the parliamentary election. Sondland wanted to wait until after Ukr. parliamentary election to see if Zel. would get the majority. Sondland said "fair enough" Volker didn't say anything. Then Volker said he had another meeting and they all left.

She relayed this all to Bolton and that's when Bolton told her to talk to Eisenberg.
@CourthouseNews
#impeachmentinquiry

@CourthouseNews .@jahimes on President Donald Trump's failure to "name and shame Russia" for its interference and malfeasance:

"That's not in the business of protecting national security is it?"

Fiona Hill: "It is not."
#ImpeachmentInquiry
@CourthouseNews

@CourthouseNews @jahimes Rep. Ratcliffe pointedly asked q's to cast doubt on Holmes testimony about his first-hand witness to Sondland's call w/Trump. Twice Ratcliffe q's underline who Holmes could physically hear: yes, Sondland. But again, as Holmes said this A.M., he could hear Trump through phone

@CourthouseNews @jahimes Rep Sewell asks if Hill is a "Never-Trumper"
She says honestly, she doesn't even know what the real definition to that is.
But she's non-partisan and it seems beyond obvious to state, but she says, I was appointed by Trump admin and I took the job.

@CourthouseNews @jahimes Rep Terri Sewell notes Trump's mistreatment of women and the frequent smearing.
Sewell: "We can choose to ignore it or do something about it...frankly, you can remove someone. You don't have to smear them."

@CourthouseNews @jahimes Rep Turner takes the opportunity to condemn the attacks and smears on NY Rep Elise Stefanik.

@CourthouseNews @jahimes Rep Turner to Dems on the committee, misrepresenting the nature of the impeachment inquiry: "You guys want to be the laughingstock of history because the president didn't take a meeting? Oh please, dear god, undertake that."

I cover hearings, on avg, 3x a week, every week for a couple years now. I can't say I've ever heard a lawmaker, of either political stripe, toss out an "Oh please, dear god."

Amb. Yovanovitch was an "easy target" to smear "because she is a woman," Hill testifies.
And then, she apologizes for the smears Stefanik has endured.
It speaks to the larger problem at hand, she says.
@CourthouseNews

@CourthouseNews .@RepBradWenstrup has been at war and studied war. He says "coups create divisions" and adds that "it is time for the Democrat-coup to end."
Hill, right away, "Can I actually say something?"

"I think what Dr. Wenstrup said is very powerful, about overcoming hatred and partisan division. It's unfortunate Rep Ratcliffe and Turner have left here. All of us who came here, came here as fact witnesses."

Hill: "I dont believe there should be any interference of any kind inf our election. I think it was unfair for people to call the election or make attacks on Trump. I know this has put a huge cloud over this presidency and over our whole democratic system."

"That's actually why as a non-partisan person and expert on Russia and Putin and Russian security services, I wanted to come in and serve the country so I could help," Hill says.

She has heard Trump say we have to improve relations with Russia. "We have to, we have to," she urges.

"To stabilize our relationship and keep them from doing in 2020 what they did in 2016" she says, before adding: We are here to provide what we know and heard with our own ears

"I understand Sondland said a lot of things. I told you what he told me. A lot of other people have said things to me, but we have relayed to you what we heard, saw and did to be of some help to all of you for making a really momentous decision," Hill testifies.

Hill: "We should be able to make a choice in our election without any fear."

Rep Chris Stewart addresses lawmawkers in the Senate - calls on them to subpoena whistleblower when this is eventually forwarded to the Senate.
Stewart says Schiff himself should be called, Hunter Biden.

Rep Quigley is up for questions. Revisiting the July 10 meeting., Did Hill raise concerns that Bolton raised to her (Mulvaney/Sondland dealings) to Eisenberg, NSC atty?
"I certainly did."
Eisenberg "took it all very seriously," she says.

Vindman should feel free "to bring any concerns to him" about mtgs, Eisenberg told her.

The reaction from the Ukrainians, was "passive" she said. there was some whispering at table, she wasn't sure how good English was, so how much some officials understood was unclear

Holmes confirms that officials present, Andriy Yermak - Zel aide - and Oleksandyr Danylyuk, the former chair of the National Security and Defence Council in Ukraine - do speak English.

Rep Swalwell: Sondland testified that on Sept. 9 he calls POTUS, says broadly, what do you want from Ukr?
POTUS: "There's no quid pro quo, there's no quid pro quo" Swalwell: "That's like being pulled over for speeding, telling cop, "I didn't rob the bank, I didn't rob the bank."

Swawell bringing up this story here, calling Nunes credibility into question. As Swalwell spoke, Nunes was leaned back in chair just a bit, and had his eyes shut. Shook his head.
thedailybeast.com/lev-parnas-hel…

Holmes: I have deepest respect for Zelensky.
This is a Ukrainian patriot and frankly he withstood a lot of pressure for a very long time and he didn't give in.
Has deep respect for Ukr. people choice in him.

Rep Hurd: Just because Biden is running for POTUS, doesn't mean his ties to Burisma are not concerning ahead of the 2020 election.
Asks for a closed setting hearing for the whistleblower.

Rep Joaquin Castro says the attacks on the nature of the impeachment inquiry are "vile"

Castro zeroes in on Mick Mulvaney and *that* press conference that will go down in history -
"He admitted this process was politicized. Rudy Giuliani, POTUS personal lawyer, essentially admitted these investigations were an issue.

Castro: "Giuliani said he thinks he did nothing wrong because he was working on direction of POTUS.
We've seen substantial evidence of wrongdoing. And I'm worried the cancer of wrongdoing may have spread beyond POTUS and into other sections of the executive branch."

Castro touched on Perry providing a list of officials they wanted positioned in Ukr. for energy deals. Hill says she believes Perry's longtime political backer Michael Bleyzer was on short list, along with Bleyzer partner Alex Cranberg
More on that:
apnews.com/6d8ae551fb8843…

Castro moves on:
If POTUS asks a head of state to investigate a political rival, what precedent does that set?
Hill: That's a very bad precedent.
Holmes: Very bad. And going forward, if that were the case, I would raise objections.

Rep Maloney apologizes to Fiona hill for all of the epic "mansplaining" she has had to endure today.

As Hill fielded questions about the attacks lobbed against her suggesting she is a George Soros-plant, Nunes eyes were closed as she deftly described how it is just part of the long-running antisemitic trope "Protocol of the Elders of Zion."

Given the uptick in antisemitic attacks in recent years, one would think this would warrant keeping your eyes wide open.

Nunes says the "new operation" by Dems to impeach Trump began July 25.

I feel like there's something else about that date.....that I've heard....

"How could Democrats not impeach him? If they don't move to overthrow him, it would prove that they don't believe their own dire threats," Nunes says.

He also, again, falsely claims that minority hasn't been able to call a witness.

I am a human being sitting in this room. If it were a Democrat who made this assertion about witnesses, I would speak just as plainly.

I point it out because it is such an obvious lie.

Schiff in closing remarks commends Hill for withstanding attacks and intense questioning from lawmakers.
Schiff laments the GOP attack on Holmes that he was indiscreet about mentioning Sondland-Trump call.
Schiff says Sondland's public phone call w/POTUS was indiscreet.

Schiff: minority got same time as Dems got in the private testimony.
So secret that 100 members of congress had access to those private hearings.

The only Republican lawmkers who remain in room now are Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes and Mike Conaway.

Schiff driving home what we began with at the top of the day: POTUS bribery scheme is a matter of national security. Not just for Ukraine, a nation at war with Russia, but for the United States too.

If we care about the big stuff, we can't just get over it - Schiff says, a reference to Mick Mulvaney's dismissive retort during *that* press conference on Oct 17

GOP doesn't accept documentary evidence, doesn't accept witness testimony, Schiff says. Refuses to accept hearsay of any kind, can only rely on POTUS. And there, they argue, we shouldn't even rely on that either.

Schiff on GOP logic during inquiry: "You cant rely on testimony of burglars at Watergate because it's only hearsay. You can't consider the fact that they tried to break in because they got caught. They didn't get what they came for, so no harm no foul. That's absurd."