1 The Trump Impeachment Hearings: Day One In The Books
How you feel about the first day of the House Impeachment Hearing likely depends on your political persuasion – as watchers say there were no major bombshells yesterday. Similarly, Democrats and Republicans appeared to be acting in lock-step with their respective parties. If there was a revelation? It was William Taylor’s testimony that his staffer overheard President Trump ask for an update on the investigations into Joe Biden the day after Trump spoke to Ukraine's president. That staffer – who was not named yesterday – is reportedly now set to appear before House Democrats in a closed-door hearing. Another witness will also answer questions Friday when televised hearings resume. In other highlights: Taylor also testified that there was an “irregular” shadow communications channel between the White House and Ukraine. The trio – made up of EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, Kurt Volker (the then-U.S. special envoy to Ukraine) and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry – reported called themselves "the three amigos." But also in the exclusive group? White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and President Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. When GOP attorney Steve Castor asked Taylor, “In fairness, this irregular channel of diplomacy, it's not as outlandish as it could be, is that correct?” Taylor agreed. “It's not as outlandish as it could be,” he responded with a laugh. “I agree with that.” Taylor was a committed note-taker. When asked if he’d kept notes "related to most of the conversations” he’d referenced in depositions and testimony, Taylor replied. "All of them.” Diplomat George Kent apparently kept similar notes. Why haven’t they been released? They’re the property of the State Department, who has declined to comply with the House Dems’ subpoena. The Impeachment Hearing continue tomorrow morning at 9am ET with Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, set to testify. She has claimed that Giuliani worked to have her removed from her post because he believed she was standing in the way of investigations into the Bidens. Her testimony is expected to cover the workings of the "irregular" backchannel of foreign policymaking led by Giuliani.
2 President Trump Weighs in On Impeachment Hearings
If you’re wondering what President Trump thinks about the impeachment hearings, that’s a complicated answer. Speaking at the White House, Trump says he has "not watched one minute" of the first public impeachment hearings. Why? Trump called the investigation is “a sham” and added that he has prioritized hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During a press conference with President Erdogan, the President reiterated that the impeachment inquiry is a hoax and it should not be allowed to happen. Trump added that he wants to know who the whistleblower is and told a reporter that they were "wasting" Erdogan's time by asking questions about impeachment. But it’s not as though he’s ignoring the event completely – he’s been retweeting clips of the testimony as well as comments in support of his position.
3 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Misses Supreme Court Arguments Due to Illness
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is missing arguments due to a reported stomach bug. Chief Justice John Roberts announced yesterday that Ginsburg was "indisposed due to illness," but said she’ll still participate based on recordings and written briefs. As you might recall, the 86-year-old justice has been facing a number of health concerns in recent times. A four-time cancer survivor, Ginsburg had to miss her first oral arguments back in January to recover from surgery to remove cancerous nodules from her lung. Over the summer, she announced that she was being treated for pancreatic cancer. She’ll also have plenty of time to mend. The justices will meet tomorrow, and will take the bench on Monday for a non-argument day. They won't hear arguments again until December 2nd.