Four key impeachment witnesses testify

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said it's "preposterous" to think he'd leak information.

"Colonel, you never leaked information?" Rep. Jim Jordan asked Vindman, who is under oath.

Just before this, Jordan asked Vindman about testimony from Tim Morrison, in which he said Vindman may have leaked information.

"Mr. Jordan, I would say that I can't say what Mr. Morrison — why Mr. Morrison questioned my judgment," Vindman said. "We had only recently started working together. He's — he wasn't there very long, and we were just trying to figure out our relationship."

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Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, said he has never brought up investigations into the Bidens and Burisma.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff mentioned the investigations while describing a meeting Pence had with the Ukrainian president in September. He said two to three dozen people were in the meeting.

Schiff asked if Pence mentioned the investigation during the meeting.

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During the short break, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman did not answer a question from CNN about whether he felt his loyalty to America was being questioned in the ongoing hearing.

Vindman appeared to ignore the question, which we asked outside the Capitol Hill hearing room.

Vindman's twin brother Yevgeny Vindman, who has accompanied his brother to Tuesday's hearing, also appeared to ignore a similar question.

Republican counsel Steve Castor asked Vindman several questions about an offer from Ukrainian officials to serve as Ukraine's defense minister. 

Vindman testified that while the offer had been made three times, he refused each time. He also appeared to treat the offer as amusing rather than serious. He said to lawmakers he did tell his chain of command about the offers.

Vindman was born in the Soviet Union and immigrated as a toddler to the United States. He is an American citizen and an Army officer.

The hearing has now resumed.

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said there was no ambiguity when President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a July 25 call to investigate the Bidens.

Vindman was answering questions from House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff.

Here's their exchange:

We just returned from a short break. Members of the committee now get five minutes each to ask questions.

Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council aide, are testifying today before the House Intelligence Committee.

Here are some of the key takeaways so far:

Republican attorney Steve Castor revealed a surprising fact during his line of questioning to Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman: The witness was offered a job as the Ukrainian defense minister.

It’s a new piece of information, previously unknown, that did not arise during Vindman’s closed door testimony.

Vindman made light of the offer, which he said arose three separate times from the Ukrainian national security adviser. He said it was laughable someone of his rank would be offered such a senior position. And he said he was an American and never considered it.

So what was the Republican strategy in raising the offer? In theory, it could raise questions about Vindman’s loyalty — a risible notion, given Vindman’s heroic service in the US military, including in Iraq, where he was wounded (Vindman still has shrapnel in his body).

It could also set up soundbites for conservative media looking to undermine Vindman.

Castor also seemed to question how the offer was presented, asking Vindman whether the national security adviser asked in English or Ukrainian.

Vindman said the adviser is a flawless English speaker who asked in English, and said there were other US officials who heard the offer.

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified that, at one point, former head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Danylyuk offered him the position of Ukraine's defense minister, which he said he "dismissed."

Vindman testified that after receiving the offer he told his superiors and the "appropriate counterintelligence folks" about it and then "forgot about it."

Vindman said "the whole notion was rather comical."

Vindman said his bosses never raised the issue of a conflict of interest with him continuing his work with the National Security Council after this offer.

He added: "Frankly, if they were concerned about me being able to continue my duties, they would have brought that to my attention."

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The Republicans' 45-minute round of question just wrapped up. The hearing is taking a quick break now.

When they come back, each member of the committee will get 5 minutes to ask questions.