Today’s witnesses at the House’s closed-door impeachment but not-an-impeachment hearing are State Department officials Catherine Croft and Christoper Anderson. . .
State Depts officials Catherine Croft, special adviser for Ukraine and Christopher Anderson, former special adviser to Amb. Kurt Volker testify today behind closed doors before House cmtes impeachment inquiry.
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) October 30, 2019
. . .and according to media reports of their planned secret testimony, the two will say “Trump displayed a deeply pessimistic view of Ukraine out of step w/ officials at the White House & State Dept. who saw support for Ukraine as critical to thwart Russia”:
New this AM: Two career diplomats will testify Wed. that Trump displayed a deeply pessimistic view of Ukraine out of step w/ officials at the White House & State Dept. who saw support for Ukraine as critical to thwart Russia. Me & @eliseviebeck https://t.co/VpFPjH0dvo
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) October 30, 2019
So they’re going to prove that White House and State Department officials didn’t agree with the President of the United States who, the last time we checked, is in charge of these sorts of things?
From Volker advisor & State official Chris Anderson’s opening statement: When Russia attacked Ukrainian military vessels heading to Mariupol, State quickly prepared a statement condemning Russia for its escalation but top officials in the White House blocked it from being issued. pic.twitter.com/UhTxEqPDb5
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) October 30, 2019
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It’s weird how they left out how days later, President Trump cancelled his meeting with Putin at the G20 to protest Russian agression:
“I think it’s incredibly important that on the basis of what Russia has done to Ukraine, that the President not meet with Vladimir Putin,” GOP @RepMikeTurner says in response to Trump abruptly canceling his meeting at the G20 with Russian President Putin. https://t.co/3K0zSHz7zi pic.twitter.com/qje9PMpQKm
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) November 29, 2018
More from the WSJ which show the president was calling Ukraine corrupt just months after his inauguration and almost two years before Joe Biden announced his candidacy:
Ms. Croft, a foreign-service officer since 2010 who served as the National Security Council’s Ukraine director before she was asked to succeed Mr. Anderson in May 2019, said Mr. Trump repeatedly described Ukraine as corrupt while deciding whether to provide the country with Javelin missile systems in December 2017. Mr. Trump made similar comments in a September 2017 meeting with then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, she said.
A new player will also enter the picture today in the form former Rep. Robert Livingston (yes, the guy who was chosen to replace Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House but then declined after he admitted to an extramarital affair):
Diplomat Catherine Croft will reveal a new character in the shadow campaign against Yovanovitch, saying she received inexplicable phone calls from lobbyist Robert Livingston, “who told me that Ambassador Yovanovitch should be fired.” pic.twitter.com/83qBebDqiT
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) October 30, 2019
Livingston declined to elaborate on his role in all of this:
“During my time at the NSC, I received multiple calls from lobbyist Robert Livingston, who told me that Ambassador Yovanovitch should be fired," Croft plans to say. "He characterized Ambassador Yovanovitch as an 'Obama holdover' and associated with George Soros.“
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 30, 2019
It's unknown if Livingston's calls to the NSC were connected in any way to his work for the Ukrainian official or his firm's contact with Giuliani.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 30, 2019
When reached on the phone by CNN on Tuesday evening, Livingston declined to explain why he made the calls.
"I don't have any reason. Not going to talk about it. I don't know anything about it," he said, then hung up the phone. @jmhansler @kylieatwood— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 30, 2019
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