The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Veronica Rocha and Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

Updated 10:29 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019
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1:34 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Lindsey Graham on identifying the whistleblower: "You can't be prosecuted based on an anonymous accusation"

From CNN's Jake Lubbehusen and Suzanne Malveaux

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), speaks after introducing a resolution condemning the House Impeachment inquiry on October 24, 2019.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), speaks after introducing a resolution condemning the House Impeachment inquiry on October 24, 2019. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Sen. Lindsey Graham just spoke with reporters outside of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the ongoing impeachment investigation.

Graham said that the anonymous whistleblower's name should be made public because "you can't be prosecuted based on an anonymous accusation. The only way you lose your property rights or your liberty rights in America is to have due process.”

The senator also called the impeachment process a "sham" and said the testimony presented in the impeachment investigation seems "to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo."

He added that he expected Rudy Giuliani, who is at the center of the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine, to claim executive privilege and refuse to testify.

Echoing the Trump administration's focus on the rough transcript of Trump's call with the Ukrainian president, he said:

"I've read the phone call. I made up my own mind about the phone call I'm not asking you to agree with me about the phone call. I'm asking you to respect my opinion of the phone call.”

Remember: The White House released a transcript of the July call, but it's only a rough log and not a word-for-word readout. The rough transcript shows Trump repeatedly pushed Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

1:28 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Catch up: 4 developments today in the Trump impeachment inquiry

ERIC BARADAT/AFP/Getty Images
ERIC BARADAT/AFP/Getty Images

A lot of news has happened today in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Here's what has happened so far and what we're watching:

  • Public hearing dates set: Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman for the House Intelligence Committee, announced today that public hearings will start next week. Diplomats Bill Taylor and George Kent will testify next Wednesday, and former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch will testify next Friday.
  • Transcript to be released: Schiff said a transcript from the testimony of top US diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor, who testified last month in the impeachment probe, will be released today.
  • Official testifies: David Hale, a high-ranking State Department official, is testifying on Capitol Hill today behind closed doors. According to the AP, Hale intends to tell Congress that the Secretary of State was reluctant to defend his Ukraine ambassador because it would hurt efforts to get Ukraine military aid and there was worry about the reaction of Rudy Giuliani. 
  • More no-shows likely: Four people are scheduled to testify today — but we're only expecting Hale to speak to the committees. The other officials are Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, and State Department counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl.

12:52 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Republican congressman says State Department official testified that the suspension of foreign aid "is not a new thing"

From CNN's Manu Raju and Lauren Fox

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images

Republican Rep. Mark Meadows spoke with reporters about what he heard from State Department official David Hale this morning during his testimony in the impeachment inquiry.

Meadows told reporters that Hale has “brought some new facts to the committees' attention, and I think if I were to characterize it one way, it would be that the suspension of foreign aid and the evaluation of that is not a new thing.” 

12:22 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Here are the witnesses who are not expected to show up for testimony today

House impeachment investigators have requested testimony from four people today — but we're only expecting one to speak to the committees.

David Hale, a high-ranking State Department official, is the only official expected to show up for his testimony today.

The other scheduled witnesses are:

  • Energy Secretary Rick Perry: Last week, Perry stated that he would not participate in a closed-door deposition, but might testify publicly about his involvement in the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine. Perry was described by US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland as one of the "three amigos" leading US relations with Ukraine.
  • Acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought: Vought, a Trump appointee, has been subpoenaed for his testimony but snubbed the impeachment investigation. "We are not going to be a part of any sham process that is designed to relitigate the last election," he recently told Fox News.
  • State Department counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl: Brechbuhl is traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Germany, according to a pool report. The whistleblower complaint named Brechbuhl as someone who listened in on Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian President.

Why this matters: The White House strategy so far has been to impede the impeachment investigation as much as possible by refusing subpoenas and calling the process itself illegitimate. Republican leadership has complained that the impeachment process is unfair and overly restrictive on their ability to question witnesses.

12:19 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Schiff: Open hearings will be an "opportunity for the American people to evaluate the witnesses for themselves"

House Intel Chair Adam Schiff announced today that public hearings will start next week in the impeachment inquiry.

Schiff said that diplomats Bill Taylor and George Kent will be the first witnesses to testify publicly next Wednesday.

Former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch will testify publicly next Friday, Schiff said.

"Those open hearings will be an opportunity for the American people to evaluate the witnesses for themselves, to make their own determinations about the credibility of the witnesses, but also to learn firsthand about the facts of the President’s misconduct," Schiff said.
11:50 a.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Transcripts from the top US diplomat in Ukraine's testimony will be released today

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff just announced that Congress will release a transcript from the testimony of top US diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor today.

"Today we will be releasing the deposition transcript of Ambassador Taylor, so people will have the opportunity to read about that deposition as well," Schiff said.

About the testimony: Taylor testified last month that he had been told President Trump would withhold military aid to the country until it publicly declared investigations would be launched that could help his reelection chances — including into former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a copy of Taylor's opening statement obtained by CNN.

11:40 a.m. ET, November 6, 2019

NOW: Adam Schiff is speaking

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff just took a break form the deposition of David Hale, a high-ranking State Department official, to speak to reporters.

Moments ago, he tweeted that public hearings in the impeachment inquiry will begin next week.

12:17 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Public impeachment hearings will begin next week

From CNN's Jeremy Herb

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff tweeted that the committee “will hold its first open hearing” on Wednesday, November 13.

Schiff said that top diplomat William Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent would testify then, followed by former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Friday, November 15.

Taylor currently serves as the Chargé D'affaires for the US State Department in Ukraine. Kent serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the European and Eurasian Bureau at the US Department of State.

Remember: Last week the House passed a resolution outlining the rules for public hearings and formalizing the impeachment process.

10:22 a.m. ET, November 6, 2019

Former Russia adviser's attorney says Sondland "fabricated" his discussions with her

From CNN's Manu Raju

Fiona Hill, former Special Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs on the United States National Security Council, arrives on Capitol Hill on October 14 to testify in the impeachment inquiry.
Fiona Hill, former Special Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs on the United States National Security Council, arrives on Capitol Hill on October 14 to testify in the impeachment inquiry. Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

A lawyer for Fiona Hill, Trump's former top Russia adviser, says that Ambasador to the European Union Gordon Sondland "fabricated communication" with Hill in his testimony in the impeachment inquiry.

Hill's attorney, Lee Wolosky, tweeted this morning that "Sondland has fabricated communications with Dr. Hill, none of which were over coffee."

Wolosky continued: "Dr. Hill told Sondland what she told lawmakers — the lack of coordination on Ukraine was distastorous (sic), and the circumstances of the dismissal of Amb Yovanovitch shameful."

What this is all about: According to Sondland's testimony released yesterday, he told lawmakers he had coffee with Fiona Hill in July and that she was "pretty upset" about her role at the administration. Sondland added that Hill was "sort of shaking."