Here we go again.
Schiff dragged out his latest impeachment witness, Laura Cooper, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs.
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Recall, Laura Cooper testified last month behind closed doors despite the Pentagon’s refusal to comply with the impeachment inquiry.
Ms. Cooper previously testified that during a July meeting, there were concerns over Trump’s “unusual” decision to put a temporary hold on military aid to Ukraine.
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Cooper also testified that she had a “very strong inference” that Ukraine knew there was a hold on the military aid in late August — nearly one month after Trump’s July 25 phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Cooper’s October testimony suggested that Volodymyr Zelensky had no idea there was a temporary hold on military aid at the time of his July 25 phone call with President Trump.
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On Wednesday evening, Cooper publicly testified in her opening statement that ‘she heard’ that the President directed the OMB to hold the funds over his concern about corruption in Ukraine.
“I heard that the president had directed the Office of Management and Budget to hold the funds because of his concerns about corruption in Ukraine,” Cooper said.
Cooper revised her deposition Wednesday and said that her staff received emails from the Ukrainians on July 25 “asking about security assistance.”
Cooper testified that she didn’t talk to the president directly. “I have never discussed this or any other matter with the president and never heard directly from him about this matter,” she said.
WATCH:
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"I heard that the president had directed the Office of Management and Budget to hold the funds because of his concerns about corruption in Ukraine," Laura Cooper testifies, adding she had not heard about the matter directly from Trump. https://t.co/1TxiFjjHgO #ImpeachmentHearings pic.twitter.com/aqv8IgGKrm
— ABC News (@ABC) November 20, 2019
Ukraine received military aid from the US three weeks early and Zelensky did not launch an investigation into the Bidens in exchange for the aid — NO QUID PRO QUO, NO BRIBERY.
Furthermore, the July 25 transcript of Trump’s phone call to Volodymyr Zelensky shows a very pleasant exchange, no pressure and no threats.