US House holds first public hearing in Trump impeachment probe

The impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine has reached a crucial point as Democratic Party lawmakers launch their first televised public hearings in Congress as they investigate if the Republican president made an impeachable offense.

The public hearings began Wednesday morning in the US House of Representatives, marking a new phase of the impeachment probe that could determine the fate of Trump’s tumultuous presidency.

Democrats leading the probe in the lower chamber of Congress have summoned three US diplomats to detail their concerns about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. All three diplomats have previously expressed alarm in closed-door testimony.

The public hearings, which will receive extensive news coverage, are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.

Democrats in the House launched an impeachment inquiry against Trump in September after a whistleblower alleged the Republican president pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who had served as a director for Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

US Representative Adam Schiff, a Democratic representing Los Angeles County, California, and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, gaveled open the historic session in a congressional hearing room packed with journalists, lawmakers and members of the public.

Schiff also warned Republicans not to reveal the identity of the whistleblower whose bombshell complaint helped launch the impeachment inquiry into whether Trump improperly pressured Ukraine to improve his reelection prospects.

Two witnesses – George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and William Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine - will be the first to testify on Wednesday.

Kent oversees Ukraine policy at the US State Department. Taylor, who served as US ambassador to Ukraine, is now the chargé d’affaires of the US embassy in Kiev.

Taylor and Kent arrived separately under heavy security, later taking their seats at the witness table, surrounded by news photographers. Both diplomats had already agreed to testify but still received subpoenas to appear.

Trump’s fellow Republicans, who will also be able to question the witnesses, have crafted a defense strategy that will argue he did nothing wrong.

Democrats are looking into whether Trump abused his power by withholding $391 million in security aid to Ukraine as leverage to pressure Kiev into conducting investigations politically beneficial to Trump.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has branded the investigation a witch hunt aimed at hurting his reelection chances.

A handful of protesters stood outside the Capitol building holding signs reading “Remove Trump” and “Trump Lies all the Time.”

The public hearings may pave the way for the Democratic-led House to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - against Trump.

That would lead to a trial in the Senate on whether to convict Trump of those charges and remove him from office. Republicans control the upper chamber of Congress and have shown little support for Trump’s removal.

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