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Two witnesses who listened to the call between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy were heard this Tuesday, November 19 before the Intelligence Committee in the House of Representatives.
Public hearings in the context of Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings continued on Tuesday with testimony from Jennifer Williams, special adviser to US Vice President Mike Pence, and Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Vindman, a member of the National Security Council. Both confirmed their immediate discomfort in listening to the telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the root of the case against the US president .
Donald Trump believes that this call - in which he asked him to " look " at Joe Biden - was " perfect " and said he had exercised " no pressure " on his interlocutor. But Lieutenant-Colonel Vindman does not agree. " I brought this conversation back to my superiors through a sense of duty. It was inappropriate to seek the help of a foreign government to harm a political opponent , "he said.
No ambiguity
Strapped in his medal-clad uniform, this veteran war veteran from Iraq, attacked by the Republican camp because he was born in Ukraine, addressed himself in a surprising way directly to his father: " Papa, my presence before our elected officials Congress proves that you did well to leave the USSR 40 years ago for the United States, "he said, before adding," Do not worry, I'll tell the truth. Here it is America, the right counts ». In the hall of applause burst, it is the first time since the beginning of the procedure that a hearing is thus punctuated, reports our correspondent in Washington, Anne Corpet .
For him, there is no ambiguity: the US president has demanded from his Ukrainian counterpart that he open an investigation into Joe Biden. " In my culture, if a superior asks me for something, it's an order. Given the power relationship between the two presidents, it is obvious that Donald Trump was needed, "said Lieutenant-Colonel Vindman.
But the Republicans are not convinced. They continue to denounce unfair proceedings. During the hearing, Donald Trump tweeted a propaganda video equating the impeachment procedure with a coup attempt.
One week of auditions
Like him, Jennifer Williams had already testified in camera before parliamentarians in October. Stating that she had listened to " about a dozen other presidential phone calls " as part of her duties, Mike Pence's special adviser explained that she found " the unusual July 25 call because (... ) it involved discussions about what appeared to be American policy issues .
Their testimonies mark the start of a week of marathon auditions, with nine depositions expected by Thursday. This is to demonstrate whether " the president has abused his powers and invited foreign interference " in the US presidential pressuring Ukraine, said Adam Schiff, Democratic leader of the Committee on Intelligence. And, ultimately, if it justifies to dismiss him.
(With AFP)