Maraú Península: Today’s Impeachment Hearings

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The House Intelligence Committee is holding its first public hearing of the impeachment inquiry against President Trump. A process that until now has existed as a cycle of reports, revelations, disputations, and document dumps will be consolidated under the rules and rhythms of open congressional hearings. You can watch the proceedings on our live stream.

For weeks, many Democrats in Congress have argued that impeachment is as much an exercise in trust-building with the public as it is in case-building against the President. The facts at this point are not in dispute: the President put the squeeze on a foreign country for his personal benefit. It’s there in the readout—commonly referred to as a transcript—of the call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and in the whistle-blower complaint, which has been largely corroborated, detailing that call—and also in the reaction to it within the Trump Administration.

Today, William Taylor, the acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, a deputy assistant Secretary of State, will be the first public witnesses. What they say and how they say it will be prompted by the force of the Democrats’ arguments and the clarity of their questions. Republicans will take every opportunity to interrupt, confuse, and attack the legitimacy of the proceedings. We know the facts, or at least many of them. Today, we’ll start to learn about the consequences. —Eric Lach

News Desk

Watch Live: The House Impeachment Hearing

William Taylor and George Kent will answer questions about the Trump Administration’s dealings with Ukraine.

By Eric Lach

Our Columnists

The Republicans’ Impeachment Defense Is Full of Holes

Their talking points may actually weaken the President’s case.

By John Cassidy

PAID POST

“I did a dangerous thing for a man in my position. I decided to tell the truth.” —EDWARD SNOWDEN

Critics call PERMANENT RECORD: “gripping” (The Washington Post), “full of surprises” (The Nation), and “riveting...reads like a literary thriller” (The New York Times).