U.S. Envoy Details Explicit Push For Quid Pro Quo In Impeachment Testimony

The latest on the impeachment inquiry: Former U.S. Ambassador William Taylor has provided lawmakers with a "disturbing" account of events at the center of the impeachment probe, Democrats said Tuesday.

Mike Lillis, senior reporter at The Hill. (@RealMikeLillis)

Politico: "William Taylor testifies about deep-seated push for Ukraine quid pro quo" — "President Donald Trump’s top envoy to Ukraine told House impeachment investigators on Tuesday of intense efforts by administration officials to secure politically-motivated investigations of Trump’s rivals in exchange for a White House meeting with Ukraine’s president and critical military aid, according to sources in the room for the testimony.

"William Taylor prompted sighs and gasps when he read a lengthy 15-page opening statement, two of the sources said.

"Another person in the room said Taylor’s statement described 'how pervasive the efforts were' among Trump's allies to convince Ukrainian officials to launch an investigation targeting former Vice President Joe Biden and another probe centering on a debunked conspiracy theory regarding the 2016 election."

Washington Post: "4 takeaways from Bill Taylor’s huge opening statement" — "We’ve been waiting weeks for the testimony of William B. Taylor Jr., the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Ukraine. And now we have it.

"Taylor was last seen in those much-circulated text messages fretting to fellow diplomats Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker about the idea that U.S. military aid to Ukraine was being held up for political reasons. Of those three diplomats, he seemed to be the most alarmed about the possibility of a quid pro quo to benefit President Trump’s reelection campaign. The question was how much he knew.

"Now we have answers — and he seems to know plenty. And in other instances in which his testimony isn’t firsthand, he helps outline a puzzle that others will likely be able to fill out."

The Hill: "Democrat: Top diplomat's testimony on Ukraine is 'sea change' in impeachment probe" — "Democrats emerging Tuesday from the closed-door testimony of the United States' the top diplomat to Ukraine were tight-lipped on details but effusive on a central point: William Taylor, they said, was delivering the most damning testimony yet in the Democrats' impeachment investigation into President Trump.

"'Without question the most powerful testimony we've heard,' said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who sits on the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

"'This testimony is a sea change. I think it could accelerate matters,' Lynch continued. 'This will, I think, answer more questions than it raises.' "

With reporting from the Associated Press