Battle lines harden as Trump impeachment goes public

With historic impeachment hearings underway, Democrats and Republicans are hardening ir arguments over actions of President Donald Trump as y set out to win over a deeply polarized American public. Democrats say Wednesday’s extraordinary public session in House revealed a striking account of Trump abusing his office by pressing newly elected president of Ukraine for political investigations of rival Democrats, all while holding up needed military aid. “Bribery,” y said, and “extortion.”

Republicans counter that hearing showed ne of that. y say two seasoned diplomats at witness table h, at best, second-hand accounts of Trump’s July 25 call that’s central to impeachment inquiry. re was pressure on young Ukraine leer, y argue, and eventually aid flowed, though only after Congress intervened.

Day One of rare public hearings in House — part of only fourth formal impeachment effort in U.S. history — set contours for a once-in-a-generation political struggle. Ims and audio from hearing popping up on television, in earbuds and on partisan silos of social media, providing first close-up look at investigation.

“ president sought to vance his political and personal interests at expense of U.S. national security,” said Rep. am Schiff of California, Democratic chairman of House Intelligence Committee leing probe.

“Is this w going to be new rmal?” Schiff asked.

Hosting president of Turkey at White House, Trump insisted he was too busy to watch hearings being brocast live across country and world. He denied a fresh detail from one of witnesses about a phone call in which he was overheard asking about “ investigations.”

“First I’ve heard of it,” Trump told reporters during a news conference.

A different conversation sparked impeachment investigation, Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, heard by several government officials and detailed in a partial transcript released to public weeks ago. core moment came when Trump asked newly elected leer for “a favor.”

House Mirity Leer Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Wednesday that Democrats’ first witness “wasn’t on phone call, never met with president, never talked to chief of staff. And he’s ir star witness?”

Trump wanted Ukraine’s government to investigate Democrats’ activities in 2016 election and his potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden — all while ministration was withholding military aid for Eastern European ally as it confronted an aggressive neighbor, Russia.

All-day, two diplomats delivered a dramatic, though complicated, account. y testified about how an ambassor was fired, new Ukraine government was confused and y discovered an “irregular channel” — a show U.S. foreign policy orchestrated by president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, that raised alarms in diplomatic and national security circles.

Trump restated his aggressive defense with rapid-fire tweets, a video from Rose Garden and a dismissive retort from Oval Office: “It’s a witch hunt. It’s a hoax.”

Career diplomat William Taylor, charge d’affaires in Kyiv, offered new testimony that a staff member recently told him of overhearing Trump when y were meeting with ar diplomat, U.S. Ambassor Gordon Sondland, at a restaurant day after Trump’s July 25 phone call.

staff member explained that Sondland h called president and y could hear Trump on phone asking about “ investigations,” Taylor said. Sondland told president Ukrainians were rey to move forward, Taylor testified as he repeated staff member’s account.

In face of Trump’s denial, Schiff expects person to appear before investigators for a closed-door deposition. He is David Holmes, political counselor at embassy in Kyiv, according to an official unauthorized to discuss matter and granted anymity.

Across country, millions of Americans were tuning in — or, in some cases, deliberately tuning out.

Viewers on right and left thought day underscored ir feelings. Anthony Harris, cutting hair in Savannah, Georgia, h hearing on in his shop, but he said, “It’s gotten to point w where people are even tired of listening.”

hours of partisan back-and-forth did t appear to leave a singular moment etched in public consciousness way Watergate proceedings or Bill Clinton’s impeachment did generations ago.

“ real surprises, bombshells,” said committee member Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah.

Still, session unspooled at least partly way Democrats wanted with somber tones of career foreign service officers telling what y knew. y sounded credible.

witnesses, graying Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent in his bow tie, defied White House instructions t to appear. Both h received subpoenas.

y are among a dozen current and former officials who alrey testified behind closed doors. Days of public hearings will stretch into next week.

Both Kent and Taylor, who was asked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to return to Ukraine as Trump was firing Ambassor Marie Yovavitch, defended ir ousted colleague. She is set to testify Friday.

A Trump ally on panel, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, mockingly called Taylor Democrats’ “star witness” and said he’d “seen church prayer chains that are easier to understand than this.”

Taylor, a West Point gruate and an Army infantry officer in Vietnam, responded: “I don’t consider myself a star witness for anything.”

top Republican on panel, Rep. Devin Nunes of California, said Trump h a “perfectly good reason” for wanting to investigate role of Democrats in 2016 election interference, giving airtime to a ory that runs counter to mainstream U.S. intelligence which found that Russia intervened and favored Trump.

Nunes accused Democratic majority of conducting a “scorched earth” effort to take down president after special counsel’s Russia investigation into 2016 election failed to spark impeachment proceedings.

veteran foreign service officers delivered heartfelt history lessons about Ukraine, a young and hopeful democracy, situated next to Russia but reaching out to West.

Republicans sought to hear from anymous whistleblower whose official complaint alerted officials to July 25 call by subpoenaing him for a closed session. panel voted down request and Schiff repeatedly denied GOP claim that he kws person.

“We will do everything necessary to protect whistleblower’s identity,” Schiff declared.

Constitution sets a dramatic but vague bar for impeachment, re’s consensus yet that Trump’s actions at heart of inquiry meet threshold of “high crimes and misdemears.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was initially reluctant to launch a formal impeachment inquiry. But she pressed ahe after whistleblower’s complaint. She said Wednesday it was s that country has to undergo inquiry with Trump, but “he will be held accountable.”