House lawmakers oppose Russia’s return to G7 summit
The House signaled its opposition Tuesday to allowing Russia to resume attending summits of the Group of Seven nations.
Ukraine
Nunes sues CNN over ‘demonstrably false’ Ukraine report
Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has filed a $435 million defamation suit against CNN over a story that alleged Nunes met with a fired Ukrainian prosecutor in an effort to dig up dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
White House holding up $100M in Lebanon aid, official confirms
The United States is withholding security assistance to Lebanon to the tune of over $100 million, leaving lawmakers and policymakers in the dark, a senior State Department official confirmed on Tuesday.
Sondland implicates top officials on Ukraine, but says he ‘never heard’ quid pro quo from Trump
European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland tied top officials to the ‘potential quid pro quo’ involving U.S. military aid to Ukraine and investigations desired by President Trump during his highly anticipated impeachment hearing testimony on Wednesday – yet said he never heard that link from the president himself.
Sondland Affirms ‘No One on This Planet’ Told Him Trump Was Tying Ukraine Aid to Investigating Bidens
n an exchange with Rep. Michael Turner (R.-Ohio), Amb. Gordon Sondland conceded in testimony today that “no one on this planet”—as Turner put it—told him that President Donald Trump was tying U.S. aid to Ukraine to Ukraine’s agreeing to investigate the 2016 election, the Bidens, or Burisma, the Ukrainian company that had hired Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Pence’s Chief of Staff: ‘This Alleged Discussion Recalled by Ambassador Sondland Never Happened’
Vice President Mike Pence’s office released a statement Wednesday morning refuting Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony that he told Pence about the alleged quid pro quo being pushed by President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Witness Says Nothing Concerned Him About Trump Ukraine Call, Republicans Question Pelosi’s Claim of Bribery
A new week of public impeachment hearings has kicked off on Capitol Hill.
White House releases transcript of first Trump-Zelensky call
President Trump congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on his election win in Ukraine, inviting him to the White House in their first phone call, according to a transcript released by the White House Friday morning.
Democrats’ smear campaign against Trump sparked White House involvement in Ukraine, Devin Nunes says
The Trump White House became involved in Ukrainian affairs to investigate a smear campaign from Democrats against the president, but the fact-finding mission was twisted and used as an excuse for impeachment, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said in an interview airing Sunday.
Schiff rejects GOP demand for Hunter Biden and whistleblower to testify on impeachment
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has added eight additional witnesses who will testify at public impeachment hearings this week, including Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and diplomats Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland.
Impeachment aside, federal budget remains a pressing matter
Impeachment hearings for President Donald Trump come at the very time that Capitol Hill usually tends to its mound of unfinished business.
U.S. diplomats to star in public impeachment hearings next week
Three U.S. diplomats who expressed alarm about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine will serve as star witnesses when Democrats bring their impeachment case against Trump directly to the public with televised congressional hearings next week, lawmakers said on Wednesday.
Russia nixed arms sales to Israel’s enemies at its request, PM’s adviser says
Russia acquiesced to Israeli requests and canceled certain arms sales to regimes that are antagonistic toward Israel, an adviser to the prime minister said this week, according to the Ynet news site.
NATO Chief Calls For Russian Troop Withdrawal From Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the withdrawal of Ukrainian and Russia-backed separatist forces from a frontline area in eastern Ukraine, but reiterated calls for Moscow to ‘withdraw all their troops.’
Anti-Trump ‘Whistleblower’ Worked With DNC Operative Who Sought Dirt On Trump From Ukrainian Officials
A new report from RealClearInvestigations reveals that the anti-Trump ‘whistleblower’ who prompted the current impeachment proceedings against President Trump is a registered Democrat who worked with a Democratic National Committee opposition researcher who dug up dirt on the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.
House impeachment strategy silences Trump’s staunchest defenders
House Democrats’ strategy will exclude some of President Trump’s staunchest defenders from public impeachment hearings that the world will be watching.
Democrats to vote on Thursday on how to make Trump impeachment probe public
Democrats in Congress, answering Republican complaints that their impeachment investigation of U.S. President Donald Trump is being conducted in secret, plan a vote on Thursday on how to make their inquiry public, a significant new stage in the probe.
Senate Republicans push resolution assailing Trump impeachment process
Republicans on Thursday pressed their campaign to discredit the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump by introducing a U.S. Senate resolution that called the process unfair but said nothing about Trump’s conduct in his dealings with Ukraine.
‘There is no quid pro quo’: Devin Nunes says John Ratcliffe ‘destroyed’ diplomat in deposition
Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe ‘destroyed’ a key U.S. diplomat during a closed-door deposition, according to a fellow Republican congressman who was present.
‘Concluded with President Zelensky agreeing’: Trump released aid after securing Ukraine investigation pledge, diplomat says
President Trump lifted a hold on security assistance for Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to announce investigations into the 2016 presidential election and former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a U.S. diplomat.