The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

Our live coverage of the impeachment inquiry has moved – follow the latest here.

Vice President Mike Pence in Turkey on October 17, 2019.

Vice President Mike Pence spoke to Fox News on Tuesday night, vowing to push back against the career diplomats testifying in the ongoing impeachment probe.

“We are going to drain the swamp,” he said. “But an awful lot of the swamp has been caught up in the State Department bureaucracy and we’re just going to keep fighting it.”??

His statement echoed language used earlier by White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who called the testimony of former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor a “coordinated smear attack from far-left lawmakers and radical unelected bureaucrats.”

Later, when asked by Fox News host Laura Ingraham?if he was ever comfortable with the involvement of President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani in regard to Ukraine, Pence didn’t directly say yes.

“My involvement in Ukraine was all directly from my conversations with the president, and my conversations and meetings with President Zelensky,” Pence said.

He added that “we were supporting and encouraging Ukraine to deal with years of corruption and calling on European allies to do more to support the Ukraine people.”

Bill Taylor arriving on Capitol Hill on October 22, 2019.

The top US diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor,?testified behind closed doors earlier today as part of the?ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Here’s are 5 of the most important lines from Taylor’s opening statement.

Naming Giuliani associates

Sondland told Trump, “Leave no stone unturned”

Quid pro quo

Promise to investigate Biden

Foreign policy undercut

Former vice president and 2020 candidate Joe Biden tweeted an apology for saying in 1998 that the Bill Clinton impeachment could be seen as “partisan lynching.”

“This wasn’t the right word to use and I’m sorry about that.”?Biden wrote. “Trump on the other hand chose his words deliberately today in his use of the word lynching and continues to stoke racial divides in this country daily.”

His 1998 comments: Biden spoke on CNN in October 1998, as impeachment proceedings were impending against then-President Bill Clinton.

Some context: The term “lynching” is associated with the extrajudicial killings of African Americans, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th century when it was used to terrorize black Americans and to maintain white political supremacy.

Some advisers to President Trump are urging the White House to beef up the communications team to respond to the impeachment inquiry, a source familiar with the matter said.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s performance last week has heightened the need for additional communications staffers, the source said. But the need to bolster the communications effort predates Mulvaney’s briefing room meltdown, the source added.

Whether this results in war room remains to be seen. The Trump impeachment team has pushed back on that strategy as it is seen as outdated. But a reexamination of the communications approach is being urged, the source said.

Rep. Mark Meadows, a Republican from North Carolina, downplayed today’s testimony from the top US diplomat in Ukraine in a brief interview, calling it “second hand, not first-hand kind of stuff.”

He also confirmed that members of the House Freedom Caucus were at the White House earlier today, but noted it was something “set up a long time ago” and “not designed for an impeachment strategy meeting.”

About two dozen members of the House Freedom Caucus went the White House today, according to a lawmaker who attended.

Impeachment wasn’t the explicit reason for the meeting, but it, and their defense of the President, were a main portion of it.

Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan did not attend due to their presence at the deposition, but Meadows said he was at the White House yesterday.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2019.

House leadership has been sending out daily talking points to members issuing guidance on impeachment messaging, a senior GOP aide told CNN.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s team comes up with the messaging and sends out the daily points. In addition, the source said the House GOP conference chair distributes impeachment talking points to members as well.

This comes as Republicans have worked to coordinate what was at first a scattershot approach to defending President Trump against impeachment proceedings.?

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2019.

House Republicans are now launching a marathon of speeches to slam Democrats for their impeachment inquiry process.

Dozens of members are expected to participate, anywhere?from 50 to 100, according to House?Minority?Whip?Steve Scalise’s office.

“Maybe in the Soviet Union, this is how they conduct hearings. This is not how it should be done in the United States of America, where members of Congress are denied access, the press is denied access, and ultimately the American people are denied access to what’s going on behind closed doors to overturn the results of the 2016 election,” he said.

The top US diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, just finished his testimony before three House committees today.

He testified for nearly 10 hours on Capitol Hill.

Taylor testified that he had been told President Trump would withheld?military aid to the country?until it publicly declared investigations would be launched that could help his reelection chances — including into former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a copy of Taylor’s?opening statement?obtained by CNN.

The opening statement from Taylor took roughly an hour to deliver, according to multiple people in the room. Sources said that there were audible sighs and gasps from lawmakers as Taylor delivered his statement.

Bill Taylor, as the US chargé d’affaires in Ukraine, is in a difficult and delicate position testifying today, a source said.

Taylor’s view is that he is there to speak to the committee and answer their questions, and he’s not looking to issue his own statement publicly.

Other officials who have given testimony and also delivered opening statements were in different positions: Kurt Volker had already resigned and Gordon Sondland, a major Trump donor, was unlikely to be fired by Trump. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine?Marie Yovanovitch, who testified earlier this month, is still a State Department employee but is not currently in an active ambassador role.

Taylor plans to return to Ukraine on Wednesday, the source said. He wants to keep his job, and thinks it is important work.

More about Taylor: A career diplomat, Taylor had to be convinced to take the Ukraine job in the first place, sources familiar with conversations explained. Volker, the former US special envoy for Ukraine, recommended Taylor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the post after Yovanovitch’s unexpected removal in the spring. Taylor then met with Pompeo, State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl and Volker at the department at the end of May.

The conversation focused on US policy towards Ukraine and Pompeo’s view of that policy. The secretary of state argued the Trump administration had a robust policy — a position he has taken in numerous interviews — and the elephant in the room — Yovanovitch’s ouster — was not extensively addressed, the sources told CNN.

After the meeting, Taylor texted back and forth with Volker, and among other things he asked why Volker would not want to take the job. Volker said he was better off in his current role — covering Ukraine as well as Washington and allies and NATO. Taylor was on the ground in Ukraine, serving as de-facto ambassador, about a month later.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement about Bill Taylor’s testimony today.

“Today was just more triple hearsay and selective leaks from the Democrats’ politically-motivated, closed door, secretive hearings,” she said in a statement.

Read her full statement:

Lawmakers from both parties are raising questions about apparent inconsistencies between closed-door testimony that impeachment investigators have received from US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and the top US diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor.

One source cited two events where Democrats have questions in particular, though there could be additional cases. According to the source, the events are…

Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas, told CNN that lawmakers will likely need to reinterview certain witnesses following Bill Taylor’s testimony today.

Hurd said President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani also needs to talk to lawmakers about his activity in the region.

“Ultimately there’s a?question about how diplomacy?should be conducted and having?an informal channel is not a?good way of doing that,” he said. “And the question that we’re?going to be answering here is —?does this reach a level of?impeachment or is it a?disagreement on policy and there?is a lot of more questions that?need to be answered.”

Watch the moment:

CNN Political Director David Chalian?takes a look at a new poll indicating that support for impeachment is growing in the latest episode of “The Daily DC: Impeachment Watch” podcast.

He is also covering:

Chalian is joined by?CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny and Mike Shields, CNN political commentator and former chief of staff for the Republican National Committee.?

Listen to the podcast here.

John Bolton is seen in August 2019 in Minsk, Belarus.

Top US diplomat to Ukraine Bill Taylor told Congress that former national security adviser?John Bolton had expressed concern about a call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Taylor’s opening statement.

Taylor said in August and September, he “became increasingly concerned” about the US’ relationship with Ukraine. Taylor wrote that he was concerned that “our relationship with Ukraine was being fundamentally undermined by an irregular, informal channel of US policy-making and by the withholding of vital security assistance for domestic political reasons.”

According to Taylor, Bolton recommended he “send a first-person cable to Secretary Pompeo directly, relaying my concerns.”

“I wrote and transmitted such a cable on August 29, describing the ‘folly’ I saw in withholding military aid to Ukraine at a time when hostilities were still active in the east and when Russia was watching closely to gauge the level of American support for the Ukrainian government,” Taylor said. “I told the secretary that I could not and would not defend such a policy.”

House committee members gathered for another day of testimony in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Meanwhile, the President spent part of the morning on Twitter.

If you’re just catching up, here are four key developments from today so far:

Top US diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor said Gordon Sondland told him President Trump wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to publicly state he would investigate Burisma and the 2016 election in order to provide the Ukrainians with a meeting and security assistance, according to a copy of Taylor’s opening statement obtained by CNN.

“During that phone call Ambassador Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President Zelensky to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US election,” according to the testimony from earlier today.

Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, told Taylor he’d also made a mistake earlier by telling the Ukrainian officials that a White House meeting with Zelensky “was dependent on a public announcement of the investigations.”

Taylor testified that Trump wanted Zelensky “in a public box” by making a public statement about ordering the investigations.

The top diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor testified today that he was told by US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that security aid to Ukraine could have been held up, in part, because of a push for Ukraine to publicly announce an investigation that could help President Trump politically, according to sources in both parties.

CNN has obtained a copy of his lengthy and detailed opening statement.

In it, Taylor said that he and Sondland spoke by phone about why the aid was frozen, and Sondland cited the need for Ukraine to open an investigation among other reasons, according to the sources.

Sondland told Taylor that the investigations potentially included both Ukraine’s involvement in the 2016 election and Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that hired former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, the sources said.

We’re going through the statement now, and we’ll post more details here.

Hear part of Bill Taylor’s statement:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said today he never had — or at least doesn’t recall having — a conversation with President Trump in which he told the President that his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was perfect.

McConnell was asked about Trump’s assertion, which the President has made publicly many times, at his weekly news conference in the Capitol.

Asked about Trump’s remarks, McConnell said, “We’ve not had any conversations on that subject.”

In a follow up question where he was asked if Trump was “lying” when he said McConnell told him the call was perfect, McConnell responded, “You have to ask him.?I don’t recall any conversations?with the President about that phone call.”

In the past, McConnell’s staff has declined to verify if Trump’s claims were valid.

McConnell would not answer another reporter’s question about the appropriateness of the call.

Bill Taylor, US ambassador to Ukraine, arrives at a closed session before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees October 22.

Asked about Ambassador Bill Taylor’s testimony today, White House officials were quick to point out he was not close to President Trump, and that there were a variety of intervening steps between the President’s direction and what he was told.

One source said he is “an important voice but probably not pivotal.” Sources also acknowledge he has a good reputation as an honest and credible career diplomat.

The White House’s view is that they can’t stop lower-level officials from complying to subpoenas at the risk of being held in contempt of Congress and that officials like Taylor will not be fired or reprimanded for testifying in response to a subpoena.

Gordon Sondland (center) arrives at the US Capitol, October 17.

Three lawmakers who are taking part in Ambassador Bill Taylor’s closed interview on Capitol Hill today said that Gordon Sondland’s testimony was inconsistent with what they heard today. They did not get into specifics.

Here’s what they said:

CNN reported today that Taylor said that in a phone call with Sondland that Sondland cited calls for investigations as a reason why the aid may have been withheld.

Asked about Taylor’s comments, a source familiar with Sondland’s testimony told CNN that Sondland cited, in addition to the investigations, that the aid may have been frozen because of corruption and the Europeans weren’t giving Ukraine enough. He said Sondland was only speculating when he referenced the political investigations into the 2016 election and Burisma — and contended that the testimony was consistent.

A source familiar with conversations President Trump is having with allies tells CNN that the President has been encouraged in recent days to accept the fact that he will almost surely be impeached by the House, and that it is time to start attacking the impeachment process more aggressively.??

Until recently, the President had been telling allies that he thought he could keep the House from impeaching him — that he could convince vulnerable Democrats from Trump districts that it would be political suicide for them to vote with the Democratic leadership. He had thought that by beating up on the two dozen or so Democrats from swing districts that he could change their minds, and his own fate in the House.?

But CNN is told that several people close to him have been working on him in recent days to explain that it is incredibly unlikely at this point, and that the best he can do is to trivialize the process.

He is also being encouraged to focus rhetorically more on domestic policy issues, like House Democrats moving slowly on US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement and the economy. This is not a new refrain from Trump advisers — but it’s even more stark now with the impeachment backdrop.

Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, has responded to President Trump’s use of the word “lynching” to describe the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

Scott said he understands the President’s frustrations, but he wouldn’t use “the word lynching.”

“I wouldn’t use the word lynching but I would love for the House to take up the unanimous passed legislation from the Senate instead of simply complaining about the President’s use of it,” Scott added.?

Scott is referring to the Justice for Victims Lynching Act, which he co-sponsored with Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. The bill passed the Senate with unanimous consent in February 2019, but has not been taken up by the House.?

Democratic lawmakers are reacting today to acting US Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor’s testimony, which is happening right now on Capitol Hill.

Members indicated Taylor’s deposition will continue for a while.

Here’s what they’ve said so far:

The opening statement from Ambassador Bill Taylor took roughly an hour to deliver, according to multiple people in the room. Sources said that the statement was rich with detail.

Democrats described Taylor’s testimony as damning to the President.

Republicans, however, downplayed Taylor’s testimony. Rep. Mark Meadows, a Republican from North Carolina, said of Taylor’s testimony there was “nothing new here, I think.”

“We’re trying to see if any witness has a connection between foreign aid and pausing the foreign aid. As it relates to the quid pro quo, we haven’t had any witness suggest that,” Meadows said.

Acting US Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor testified today that he was told by Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that security aid to Ukraine could have been held up in part because of a push for Ukraine to publicly announce an investigation that could help the President politically, according to sources in both parties.

In a lengthy and detailed opening statement, Taylor said that he and Sondland spoke by phone about why the aid was frozen, and Sondland cited the need for Ukraine to open an investigation among other reasons, according to the sources.?

Sondland told Taylor that the investigations potentially included both Ukraine’s involvement in the 2016 election and Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that hired former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, the sources said.

Asked about Taylor’s comments, a source familiar with Sondland’s testimony said that Sondland cited, in addition to the investigations, that the aid may have been frozen because the Europeans weren’t giving Ukraine enough and corruption generally. He said Sondland was only speculating when he referenced the political investigations into the 2016 election and Burisma.

Some background: Text messages between Taylor and Sondland and provided to Congress showed that the two discussed the aid being frozen on the phone, amid concerns Taylor had raised that it was being held up in order to help the President politically.

“As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign,” Taylor texted Sondland on Sept. 9. Sondland then discussed the concern with the President and then texted Taylor there was no quid pro quo.

Speaking about Ambassador Bill Taylor’s testimony today, GOP Rep. Mark Meadows told reporters there is “nothing new here, I think.”

Asked if Taylor has addressed his text messages about the foreign aid, Meadows said he couldn’t talk about the specifics, but “I’m sure before the end of the day that that will be talked about.”

More context: Taylor, a key witness in the House impeachment inquiry,?was thrust into the public eye following the?release of his text exchanges?with former Special Envoy for Ukraine?Kurt Volker?and President Trump’s appointee to be the US ambassador to the European Union,?Gordon Sondland.

In the exchanges, Taylor expressed his concerns about foreign policy moves being tied to political motives, writing that it was “crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen?Bass?told CNN that President Trump’s lynching tweet is consistent with his pattern of throwing out “racial bombs” to his base when his back his against the wall.

Bass added: “And I think it’s important for?us to not always take the?bait,?but I think it was just an?egregious statement.”

About the tweet: Trump used a racially charged term to describe the House of Representative’s impeachment inquiry, calling the process a “lynching” today.?This marks his first use of the term “lynching” to describe the inquiry — a term deeply intertwined with horrific racial violence and a dark era in the United States.

Trump previously retweeted a statement during the 2016 election referring to his media treatment as a “disgusting lynching” in September 2015.

An official working on the impeach inquiry told CNN the State Department attempted to direct Ambassador Bill Taylor not to testify this morning, forcing the House Intel committee to issue him a subpoena.

Here’s how the source put it:

The official added that Taylor is now complying with the subpoena.

Asked during a House GOP’s press conference about the President’s tweet this morning referring to the impeachment inquiry as a “lynching,” House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy said, “That’s not the language I would use.”

McCarthy also accused Democrats of “abusing their power” during the impeachment inquiry.

“The Democrats have written this script. They hate this President, and they are abusing their power to undo an election,” he said.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham defended President Trump’s “lynching” tweet from earlier this morning saying, it’s “pretty well accurate.”

“This is a lynching, in every sense. This in un-American,” he added.

Graham then turned the focus back on the media coverage: “Not one person has asked me a question. What do you think about the fact that the President does not know who his accuser is … it shows a lot of things about our national media. When it’s about Trump, who cares about the process? Long as you get ‘em.”

About the tweet: President Trump used a racially charged term to describe the House of Representative’s impeachment inquiry, calling the process a “lynching” today.?

Trump has repeatedly railed against the probe, calling it a “witch hunt” and a “fraud” — but this marks his first use of the term “lynching,” a term deeply intertwined with horrific racial violence and a dark era in the United States.

Trump previously retweeted a statement during the 2016 election referring to his media treatment as a “disgusting lynching” in September 2015.

CLARIFICATION: This post has been updated to reflect that Sen. Graham said the treatment of Trump is a lynching in “every” sense.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler told CNN this morning that Democrats will “take the time we need to take” when it comes to the impeachment inquiry.

This was in response to CNN’s reporting yesterday about the timeline for the impeachment inquiry looking more drawn out than some had hoped.

Asked if Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have started the process of drafting articles of impeachment yet, Nadler said, “I can’t comment on that.”

Asked what the drafting process would look like for the articles of impeachment, Nadler said he didn’t know. “We’ll have to discuss that.”

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, along with GOP Rep. Mark Walker, are leading members tonight in a?marathon?of floor speeches immediately following the last votes of the day.

The speeches will be used to blast the Democrats on their abuses of the impeachment process, Scalise’s office told CNN.????

Scalise’s office says they expect a strong number of members to participate.?

GOP Rep. Jim Jordan defended Trump when asked if the President’s “lynching” tweet was appropriate.

Jordan said, “the President is frustrated,” when asked by CNN about the tweet.

About the tweet: President Trump used a racially-charged term to describe the House of Representative’s impeachment inquiry, calling the process a “lynching” today.?

Trump has repeatedly railed against the probe, calling it a “witch hunt” and a “fraud” — but this marks his first use of the term “lynching,” a term deeply intertwined with horrific racial violence and a dark era in the United States.

Trump previously retweeted a statement during the 2016 election referring to his media treatment as a “disgusting lynching” in September 2015.

Ambassador?Bill Taylor, a key witness in the House impeachment inquiry,?just arrived on Capitol Hill for his expected testimony before the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees.

Why Taylor matters: Taylor was thrust into the public eye following the?release of his text exchanges?with former Special Envoy for Ukraine?Kurt Volker?and President Trump’s appointee to be the US ambassador to the European Union,?Gordon Sondland.

In the exchanges, Taylor expressed his concerns about foreign policy moves being tied to political motives, writing that it was “crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

It’s another busy day as the House presses forward with its impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Here are three key events we’re keeping an eye on this morning:

President Trump used a racially-charged term to describe the House of Representative’s impeachment inquiry, calling the process a “lynching” today.?

Some context: Trump has repeatedly railed against the probe, calling it a “witch hunt” and a “fraud” — but this marks his first use of the term “lynching,” a term deeply intertwined with horrific racial violence and a dark era the United States.

Trump previously retweeted a statement during the 2016 election referring to his media treatment as a “disgusting lynching” in September 2015.

Trump has long been a racial lightning rod, from his tepid response to the violence of white nationalists to his stark anti-immigrant rhetoric throughout his time in office and campaigning.

The statement drew a swift rebuke from Democratic Rep. James Clyburn.

“I am not just a politician up here. I’m a Southern politician, I’m a product of the South. I know the history of that word, that is a word that we ought to be very, very careful about using,” he said.

House Democrats are facing a time crunch to quickly wrap up their investigation into allegations President Trump abused his office in?pushing Ukraine to probe his political rivals — prompting growing expectations that votes on impeaching Trump could slip closer to the end of the year.

Some Democrats had hoped that a?narrow probe?— focused on whether Trump put on ice efforts to bolster relations with Ukraine and provide US military aid to the country until it carried through with a political favor — could conclude swiftly, with a potential vote to impeach Trump by Thanksgiving.

But that has proven to be more complicated than it initially seemed, according to multiple Democratic lawmakers and sources.

The reason: Each witness has so far provided more leads for investigators to chase down, including new names to potentially interview or seek documents from. Plus, Democrats have had to reschedule several witnesses, including some this week in part because of?memorial services for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, and others because they needed more time to retain lawyers.

Remember: There’s no set amount of time an impeachment inquiry must take — and there’s no time limit.

This process can take months. Take the three presidents who have faced impeachment as examples:

Bill Taylor, currently the top official at the US Embassy in Ukraine, is expected to testify before congressional investigators today.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of his deposition:

Half of Americans say President Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office, according to a new CNN poll conducted by?SSRS, a new high in CNN polling on the topic and the first time that?support for impeachment and removal has significantly outpaced opposition.

As support for impeachment has inched upward, however, Trump’s approval ratings overall and for handling major issues have not taken a hit. Overall, 41% approve of his handling of the presidency and 57% disapprove, similar to his ratings in early September and August polls conducted before the House of Representatives formally launched an impeachment inquiry in late September.

The share who say Trump used his office improperly to gain political advantage against a potential 2020 opponent in his interactions with the President of Ukraine stands at 49%, about the same as in the September CNN poll. At the same time, more now say Trump did not use the presidency improperly (43%, up from 39%), as the share who are undecided on the question dipped. That shift was largely driven by a 16-point increase in the share of Republicans who say Trump didn’t improperly use the presidency (from 71% to 87%).

Read more analysis of the poll findings here.

Impeachment investigators plan to interview several high-profile individuals in closed-door depositions – though when those depositions will happen remains in flux.

Here’s who is on the agenda

Tuesday: Ambassador William ‘Bill’ Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine.

Wednesday: Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Saturday: Philip Reeker, Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs

Delayed depositions: Several individuals have been previously scheduled to testify, but have had their depositions delayed. They include:

Ambassador Bill Taylor is scheduled to serve as the next key witness in the House impeachment inquiry.

He is expected to be deposed by the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees today.

It is unclear whether Taylor will be permitted by the State Department to testify, or whether he will be subpoenaed. The State Department has not replied to requests for comment on Taylor’s testimony.

About Taylor: He was thrust into the public eye following the release of his?text exchanges?with former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland, who is President Donald Trump’s US ambassador to the European Union.

In the exchanges, Taylor expressed his concerns about foreign policy moves being tied to political motives, writing: “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

A lot happened on Monday in the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Here are the key developments: