The first two witnesses — diplomats William Taylor and George Kent — testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday as the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump faces high stakes in meeting with Erdoğan amid impeachment drama Democrats worry they don’t have right candidate to beat Trump Trump threatening to fire Mulvaney: report MORE shifts to a make-or-break public phase.
Follow The Hill’s complete, live coverage of the historic hearing below:
House Republicans claim seats to watch hearing
9:25 a.m.
A group of House Republicans, including some of the president’s fiercest defenders, began to claim spectator seats almost an hour before the hearing was set to begin.
The group included Reps. Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsHouse Republicans prepare for public impeachment proceedings with mock hearing Live updates on impeachment: Schiff fires warning at GOP over whistleblower Democrats sharpen their message on impeachment MORE (R-N.C.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Louie Gohmert
Louis (Louie) Buller GohmertGOP lawmaker invokes possibility of ‘civil war’ after House votes on Trump impeachment procedures Why the GOP march of mad hatters poses a threat to our Democracy Elijah Cummings, native son of Baltimore, gets emotional send-off from Democratic luminaries MORE (R-Texas), among others.
We have a group of House Republicans lining up to watch the hearing, including Reps. Meadows, Biggs, Gohmert. pic.twitter.com/Rh1F0pMngP
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 13, 2019
Democrats also grabbed seats to watch the historic hearing.
Republicans have also set up props/signs — including one about a tweet by the whistleblower’s lawyer that has attracted GOP scrutiny pic.twitter.com/HVPBRKpLVg
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 13, 2019
Taylor and Kent were subpoenaed ahead of impeachment hearing
9:20 a.m.
Both witnesses testifying on Wednesday were issued subpoenas before their appearance, according to an official working on the impeachment inquiry.
“The House Intelligence Committee issued subpoenas this morning to Ambassador William Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent prior to the public hearing,” the official said.
The move is not surprising. The panel has consistently subpoenaed witnesses to testify behind closed doors in connection with the investigation, as the White House has sought to prevent individuals from cooperating. In some cases, witnesses have evaded subpoenas by not showing up. Both Taylor and Kent were subpoenaed for depositions last month. Transcripts of their private testimony have since been released.
Trump launches Twitter attack ahead of House hearing
9:19 a.m.
President Trump went on the offensive Wednesday morning ahead of the first public hearing in the House impeachment inquiry, ripping into top Democrats and decrying members of his own administration set to testify as “Never Trumpers.”
Trump took to Twitter in the hours before the first of several hearings that will shape the remainder of his presidency. He tweeted out all-caps mantras that he has deployed for weeks to deflect allegations of wrongdoing and quoted Fox News hosts who railed against Democrats leading the impeachment proceedings.
Trump resorted to previous characterizations of impeachment witnesses as “Never Trumpers” and demanded the public read the transcript of his July 25 call with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelesnky, which he has described as “perfect,” despite the document being a key piece of evidence in Democrats’ case.
“NEVER TRUMPERS!” Trump tweeted roughly two hours before the first public impeachment hearing was scheduled to begin.
“READ THE TRANSCRIPT!” he tweeted moments later, sharing the rallying cry that the president’s campaign has had printed on T-shirts.
Democrats compare notes as hearing approaches
9:10 a.m.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are huddling Wednesday morning in the Capitol basement in an eleventh-hour preparation session for their 10 a.m. hearing — the first public presidential impeachment hearing in two decades.
Panel members Jackie SpeierKaren (Jackie) Lorraine Jacqueline SpeierBrindisi, Lamb recommended for Armed Services, Transportation Committees Democrats sharpen their message on impeachment Impeachment week: Trump probe hits crucial point MORE (D-Calif.), Eric Swalwell
Eric Michael SwalwellDemocrats sharpen their message on impeachment Impeachment week: Trump probe hits crucial point Republicans, Democrats brace for first public testimony in impeachment inquiry MORE (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro
Joaquin CastroDemocrats face make-or-break moment on impeachment Speier: Hearing transcripts will likely be released in next five days Sondland emerges as key target after Vindman testimony MORE (D-Texas) were seen entering the secure room in the Capitol basement — the same spot they’d conducted their closed-door depositions over the last seven weeks — at roughly 8:30 a.m.
A source familiar with the preparations, which included an initial meeting of committee members on Tuesday, said the process consists largely of a top-down designation of topics to ensure there isn’t too much doubling up when it comes time for lawmakers to ask questions of the witnesses.
“What they’ll do is they’ll break up the questions, and the line-up questioning, the assignments for topics for everybody,” the source said.
8 in 10 say there is little or no chance they will change their minds on impeaching Trump: poll
7:45 a.m.
An overwhelming majority of respondents in a new poll says they have made up their minds about whether to impeach President Trump.
The survey from Politico–Morning Consult released early Wednesday found 62 percent of respondents said there is no chance they could change their minds regarding impeachment, with another 19 percent reporting there’s only a small chance of doing so.
Trump echoes Limbaugh: ‘Partisan sham’
7:23 a.m.
President Trump echoed a statement from conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh early Wednesday, calling the impeachment inquiry a “partisan sham.”
“‘Millions of Americans will see what a partisan sham this whole thing is.’ Rush Limbaugh @foxandfriends,” Trump tweeted three hours before the first public impeachment hearing was set to begin.
“Millions of Americans will see what a partisan sham this whole thing is.” Rush Limbaugh @foxandfriends Also, why is corrupt politician Schiff allowed to hand over cross examination to a high priced outside lawyer. Did that lawyer ever work for me, which would be a conflict?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
Trump also appeared to suggest without evidence that a Democratic counsel on the House Intelligence Committee who is expected to play a significant role in Wednesday’s questioning may have once worked for him. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffGiuliani pens op-ed slamming ‘unprecedented’ impeachment inquiry Jim Jordan: Latest allegation of ignoring sexual misconduct is ‘ridiculous’ Democrats face make-or-break moment on impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) is expected to yield much of his time to Daniel Goldman, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York who briefly served as a legal analyst on MSNBC, where he was critical of Trump.
“Also, why is corrupt politician Schiff allowed to hand over cross examination to a high priced outside lawyer. Did that lawyer ever work for me, which would be a conflict?” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Trump did not name Goldman. There is no evidence Goldman ever worked for the president.
