[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] the committee will come back to order. I will now begin a period of fiveminute questions when the i want to ask you both about the questions you are asked by my colleagues in the minority. First if i could ask you ms. Williams and colonel vindm vindman, you are asked a series of questions for the Ranking Member of the outset, were you aware of the fact and then there was a recitation of information about burisma, the bidens, is it fair to say you have no firsthand knowledge of any of the matters asked . That is correct. That is correct. Ms. Williams you are also asked a series of questions about the schedule and if he couldve made then operation and was a president traveling in the trip to canada, lets be clear about something. The president you were instructed had told the Vice President not to go before you freeze even knew the date of the inauguration . Is that correct. That is correct. At the time he was told not to go, there was
Order. Good afternoon, everyone. This is the sixth in a series of public hearings the committee will be holing as part of the house of representatives impeachment inquiry. Without objection the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the committee at any time. There is a quorum present. We will proceed today in the same fashion as our other hearings. I will make an Opening Statement and the Ranking Member nunes will have the opportunity to make a statement and we will turn to our witnesses for their Opening Statements if they should choose to make one. For audience member, we welcome you and respect your interest in being here. In turn, we ask for your respect as we proceed with this hearing. As chairman, ill make any necessary or take any necessary appropriate steps to maintain order and ensure that the committee is run in accordance with house rules and House Resolution 660. With that, i now recognize myself to give an Opening Statement in the impeachment inquiry into donald j. Tr
Colonel. Again just for the record when did you 1st learn this Security Assistance was being with home on or about july 3rd. And what exactly had you learned from the state department i believe that prompted you to draft the notice on july 3rd i so on or about july 3rd i became aware of inquiries into. Security assistance funding in general there are 2 typical parts state department and d. O. D. And i believe it was around that day that o. M. B. Put a hold on congressional notification and you had any earlier indications that this might be the case prior to that there were there were some general inquiries on how the funds were being spent things of that nature Nothing Specific but no no hold d certainly well where anyone in the National Security community who supported withholding the aid know no one from the nationals security none no one from the state department correct no one from the department of defense correct and anyone into your understanding raise the look galatea withholdi
Requirements that our aid to ukraine is conditioned on anticorruption, Lieutenant Colonel vindman, you testified that you understood that congress had passed under the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative a legal obligation to certify that corruption is being addressed. That is correct. You also testify it is required by the National Defense authorization act. That is correct. So, for the public listening, were not just talking about President Trump focusing on anticorruption in ukraine, but it is to critical, so important that hardearned taxpayer dollars, when given to foreign nations that by law overwhelmingly bipartisan support requires anticorruption in ukraine in order to get u. S. Taxpayer funded aid. Lieutenant colonel vindman, you spoke extensetively about the need of aid to ukraine, specifically javelins. This was in your deposition. Correct. You testified the javelin in particular, because of its effectiveness in terms of influencing the russian decision calculus for aggr
That is correct. You explained earlier that your job in the white house was to coordinate United States and Ukraine Policy, is that right . It is to coordinate United States policy visavis ukraine, correct. You testified in the spring of this year that these officials, these ukrainian officials began asking you, quote, advice on how to respond to mr. Giulianis advances, end quote. Is that correct . That is correct. What do you understand they meant by mr. Giulianis advances . I understood that to mean both his public commentary, so publicly calling for investigations into 2016, burisma, and hunter biden, as well as his direct overtours to the government of ukraine directly and through proxies. Thats what i understood. As you understand it, under Whose Authority do you think mr. Giuliani was acting under . Congresswoman, i dont know. Did the ukrainian officials you were speaking to tell you that they were being asked to im sorry, can you say that again, maam . Do you think the ukrainian