House Democrats schedule first open hearings in Trump impeachment inquiry

House Democrats have scheduled the first open hearings in the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump. The publicly televised hearings will begin next week with William Taylor, top US diplomat for Ukraine, and the State Department official George Kent.

The House Intelligence Committee will hold its first open hearings next week in the impeachment inquiry, chairman Adam Schiff [D-CA] announced this morning.

From Bloomberg News:

William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state in the European and Eurasian bureau, will appear on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is scheduled for Nov. 15.

Taylor gave an account to House impeachment panels of efforts directed by Trump to tie U.S. military aid for Ukraine to his effort to get that country to promise an investigation into the Biden family and the 2016 election.

Taylor's first-hand testimony has already been described as a smoking gun by Democrats on the House committees as they piece together a potential impeachment case against Trump.

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