Bill Taylor’s Congressional Testimony Regarding Ukraine Reportedly Prompted ‘Sighs And Gasps’
President Donald Trump’s top envoy to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, testified to a group of House representatives behind closed doors on Tuesday. While those who heard his testimony are limited in what they can reveal publicly, early reports indicate that Taylor’s testimony was rather stunning.
According to Politico, Taylor’s opening statement during Tuesday’s hearing was 15 pages long. As the Trump envoy to Ukraine read his statement, multiple sources revealed that people in the room gasped and sighed at times in response to what Taylor said.
Taylor’s statement is said to have been quite detailed in how “pervasive the efforts were” to compel Ukrainian officials to investigate presidential candidate Joe Biden. Taylor explained that not only did Trump’s allies push hard on that front, but he asserted that they were also intent on having debunked allegations that Ukraine was involved in manipulating the 2016 United States election pursued.
The expectations regarding what Taylor might reveal were quite high, given a text exchange of his that recently surfaced. In texts with U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland, Taylor opposed Trump withholding aid to Ukraine in what appeared to be a quid pro quo for Biden dirt.
Massachusetts Democratic House Representative Stephen Lynch said that Taylor’s testimony was such that it could serve to accelerate the ongoing Trump impeachment inquiry.
MSNBC reporter Garrett Haake shared via his Twitter page that committee members described Taylor’s testimony as very credible as well as quite disturbing. Taylor reportedly generated incredibly detailed contemporaneous notes after meetings and phone calls related to the Ukraine issues, and he utilized those to create his lengthy opening statement.
Wall Street Journal reporter Rebecca Ballhaus shared via her Twitter page that Michigan Rep. Andy Levin also had a strong reaction to Tuesday’s testimony. Apparently, Levin feels that Taylor’s deposition was very troubling, and he shared that it generated what has been the most disturbing day he has experienced since joining the House of Representatives this year.
Another new representative, Harley Rouda of California, shared that there was something of a “holy sh*t” vibe in the room as Taylor shared his opening statement.
New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski, a former assistant secretary of state, noted that Taylor provided a very thorough timeline of what has happened in regard to the Ukraine allegations. Malinowski also seemed to suggest that Taylor was able to provide corroboration to support the assertions he made during his testimony.
There are still a number of depositions scheduled in the days ahead, as well as battles over subpoenas that House committees have issued. It sounds as if Bill Taylor’s testimony regarding these Ukraine and Trump allegations were both detailed and stunning and many will be anxious to see where this all heads next.
