hill. ms. spear. >> mr. chairman, thank you, and dr. hill, mr. holmes, thank you both for being fact witnesses. we are here as fact finders, and we appreciate very much your presentations. dr. hill, i want to verify this story. i understand that when you were 11 years old, there was a schoolboy who set your pigtails on fire and you were taking a test, you turned around and with your hands snuffed out the fire and then proceeded to finish your test. is that a true story? >> it is a true story. i was a bit surprised to see that pop up today. it's one of the stories i occasionally tell because it had some very unfortunate consequences afterwards, my mother gave me a bowl haircut so for the school photograph later in that week, i look like richard iii. >> i think it underscores the fact that you speak truth, that you are steely, and i truly respect that. let me move to your testimony in your deposition. you had indicated you were deeply troubled by ambassador yovanovitch's, the attacks on her, and you underscored again today that all ambassadors serve

mr. chairman, dr. hill, mr. holmes, thank you for your testimony. dr. hill, you made a fairly dramatic comment in your statement to which the ranching member took some exception. i'm more interested in the ukraine piece of this. but you said some you on this committee appear to believe that russia in its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country and that somehow for some reason ukraine did. i'm really much more interested in the ukraine piece of this. but i do want to defend you briefly. i don't know what my colleagues believe, but i do have a pretty good sense of what the effects are of creating ambiguity, of lacking clarity and conviction around the russian attack on the election of 2016. in response to your comment, the ranking member offered up a report, which varies in material respects from the report that was created by the 17 agencies of the intelligence community. a day does not go by in which ranking member nunes does not speak of the russia hoax. and this is an area in which context is pretty important. dr. hill, let me

mr. holmes? >> i have. >> dr. hill, mr. holmes, thank you for your testimony. dr. hill, you made a fairly dramatic comment in your opening statement to which the ranking member took some exception. i'm more interested in the ukraine piece of this, but you said some of you on this committee believe that rusha and security services did not conduct and perhaps somehow for some reason ukraine did. i'm interested in the ukraine piece of this. i do want defend you briefly. i don't know what my colleagues believe, but i do have a pretty good sense of what the effects are of creating ambiguity and lacking clearty a tt tt tty and around the attack of 2016. in response to your comment, the ranking member offered up a report which varies in material respects from the report that was created by the 17 agencies of the intelligence community. a day does not go by in which ranking member nunez does not speak of the russia hoax. and this is an area in which context is pretty important. dr. hill, let me read you a comment by another senior official. why did democratic national commi

mr hill. going quickly through a series of questions and i have your answers here so this won't take long and you've answered them generally anyway you greet the united states should evaluate whether country is worthy of our aid is that fair to say yes or and you understand as well the president trump has been skeptical generally of foreign aid and some of the money that we've given is that fair as well i think so and i think that's being fairly consistent he's done that since before he was elected i think others in the process of test tried the crane is a long history of corruption that's not going to surprise any one of us we've talked about that about a 1000 times do you think it was right the president tell would test is the word i think used previously that he would test prisons and ski prior to route to providing some of the security assistance. the presence of once he was knew i had met him in february i was impressed by him but i think it is understandable for the administration as a n

hill. ms. spear. >> mr. chairman, thank you, and dr. hill, mr. holmes, thank you both for being fact witnesses. we are here as fact finders, and we appreciate very much your presentations. dr. hill, i want to verify this story, and i understand that when you were 11 years old, there was a schoolboy who set your pigtails on fire and you were taking a test, you turned around and with your hands snuffed out the fire and then proceeded to finish your test. is that a true story? >> it is a true story. i was a bit surprised to see that pop up today. it's one of the stories i occasionally tell because it had unfortunate consequences afterwards, my mother gave me a bowl haircut so for the school photograph later in that week, i look like richard aiii. >> i think it underscores the fact that you speak truth, that you are steely, and i truly respect that. let me move to your testimony in your deposition. you had indicated you were deeply troubled by ambassador yovanovitch's, the attacks on her, and you underscored again today that all ambassadors serve at t

mr. hurt? >> thank you, dr. hill. mr. holmes for your years of service to this country and i appreciate y'all being here today. throughout this process, i have said that i want to learn the facts so we can get to the truth. so why are we here? because of two things that occurred during the president's july 25th phone call 'president zelensky. the phrase do us a favor though in reference to the 2016 election and the mention of the word by biden. i believe both statements are inappropriate misguided foreign policy and certainly not how the executive current or in the future should handle such a call. over the course of these hearings, the american people have learned about a series of events that, in my view have undermind our national security and undercut ukraine a key partner on the front lines against russian aggression. we have heard of u.s. officials carrying uncoordinated confusing an conflicting messages that created doubt and uncertainty in kiev at a time when they knew reformist administration has just taken offic

hill. ms. spear. mr. chairman, thank you, and dr. hill, mr. holmes, thank you both for being fact witnesses. we are here as fact finders, and we appreciate very much your presentations. dr. hill, i want to verify this story, and i understand that when you were 11 years old, there was a schoolboy who set your pigtails on fire and you were taking a test, you turned around and with your hands snuffed out the fire and then proceeded to finish your test. is that a true story? dr. hill: it is a true story. i was a bit surprised to see that pop up today. it's one of the stories i occasionally tell because it had unfortunate consequences afterwards, my mother gave me a bowl haircut so for the school [laughter] photograph later in that week, i look like richard iii. >> i think it underscores the fact that you speak truth, that you are steely, and i truly respect that. let me move to your testimony in your deposition. you had indicated you were deeply troubled by ambassador yovanovitch's, the attacks on her, and you underscored again today that all ambas

hill. mr. holmes, for your years of service, appreciate you all being here today. throughout this process i have said that i want to learn the facts so we can get to the truth. so why are we here? because of two things that occurred during the president's july 25th phone call with ukranian president zelensky. use of the phrase do us a favor though, in reference to the 2016 election, and mention of the word biden. i believe both statements were inappropriate, misguided foreign policy, and certainly not how the executive current or in the future should handle such a call. over the course of the hearings the american people have learned about a series of events that in my view have undermined our national security and undercut ukraine, key partner on the front lines against russian aggression. we heard of u.s. officials carrying uncoordinating, confusing, conflicted messages that created doubt at a time they knew the reformist administration had taken office, ready to fight corruption, work with u

mr. hill's family in this regard. ramon hill jr. was one of five people gunned down at the house party off lucille way on halloween night. lauren martinez, abc7 news. >>> time is 4:30. if you're just joining us, a quick update of weather and traffic where you live. here is mike. >> let's talk about that fog once again. what we're dealing with out there. you know, if you weren't with us three minutes ago, if you were, sorry, i will show this again. sfo down to 2 miles. look at the winds. they're light and variable. we will be dealing with that for an extended period of time. the only thing that will get rid of it is strong sunshine. we don't have that this time of the year. starting off in the 40s. by noon into 4:00, staying in the 50s. 62 to 67 noon to 4:00. and the most sunshine and warmth will be inland, 73 at noon to 76 at 4:00. by this evening, >> we are following a sigalert, westbound 12 near llano. this purple line is where all the westbound lanes are closed. someone is trapped inside of their car. the chp is working to get th

mr. hill's family in this regard. ramon hill jr. house party off lucille way on halloween night. lauren martinez, abc7 news. >>> time is 4:30. if you're just joining us, a quick update of weather and traffic where you live. here is mike. >> let's talk about that fog once again. what we're dealing with out there. you know, if y

mr heard. thank you dr hill mr holmes for years years of service to this country and i appreciate you being here today throughout this process i have said that i want to learn the facts so we can get to the truth so why are we here because of 2 things that occurred during the president's july 25th phone call with ukrainian president on the use of the phrase do us a favor though in reference to the 26000 presidential election and the mention of the word biden i believe both statements were inappropriate misguided foreign policy and it's certainly not how the executive current or in the future should handle such a call over the course of these hearings the american people have warned about a series of events that in my view have undermined our national security and undercut ukraine a key partner on the front lines against russian aggression. we've heard of u.s. officials carrying uncoordinated confusing and conflicting messages that created doubt and uncertainty and key at a time when a new reformist administration has just taken office and was ready to fight corruption and work with us to advance

mr. chairman. dr. hill, during -- during your deposition i asked you was christopher steele's dossier a rabbit hole. do you remember -- do you remember the answer you gave to that question. >> yes i thought it was a rabbit hole. >> and you also said a couple pages later in the deposition or in the transcript that i have here of your deposition that you thought he got played. is that fair? >> that is fair, yes. >> i was struck by a number of things you said in your statement. a number of things i thought were on target. one on page 7. you said this, president putin at russian security services weaponize our own political opposition research. and that is exactly what happened in 2016. exactly what happened. you called it. you knew it. you saw it. the dnc hired perkins kuy, who hired fusion gps who hired christopher steele who talked to russians who gave him a burcham of dirt, national eninquire err garbage that he compiled in a dossier and you're fbi used it. they used it as part of their investigation that t

mr. chairman. dr. hill, mr. holmes, thank you for your testimony. dr. mment in your opening statement to which the ranking member too exception. i'm more interested in the ukraine piece of this but you said some on the committee appear to believe russian security services did not conduct against our country and for some reason ukraine did. much more interested in the krrn cynthia pie -- ukraine piece but i want to defend you briefly. i don't know what my colleagues believe but i have a pretty good sense what the effects are ofam clarity and conviction around the russian attack on the election of 2016. in response to your commen offe report varying in material respects from the report created by the 17 agencies of the intelligence community. a day does not go by in which ranking member nunes does not speak of the russia hoax, and this is an area in which context is pretty important. dr. hill, let me read you a comment by another senior official. why did democratic national committee turn down the dhs offer to protect against hacks? it's a big dem hoax, al

mr. carson. >> thank you, chairman. thank you both for your service. dr. hill, i'd like to talk a little more indepth about chief of staff nick mulvaney's role in the events under investigation. you testified, ma'am, that mr. mulvaney and ambassador sondland were both involved with a letter president trump sent to the ukrainian president on may 29th congratulating him on his inauguration. do you recall that, ma'am? >> ah, i did, yes. >> and towards the end of that letter, president trump closed with, quote, i would like to invite you to meet me at the white house in washington, d.c. as soon as we can find a mutually convenient time. end quote. dr. hymn, was this congratulatory letter drafted through the normal procedures at the nsc, that the nsc uses to send letters to foreign heads of state? >> the first part of it was, except the last paragraph. >> you also testified that ambassador sondland told you that he had dictateed that line to the president and that mr mr. vulva mr. aslt mulvaneyv mr to add that to the letter. >> that is correct. >> why were you nervo

mr. hill: mr. chair, i, again, amendment.e this i urge its adoption, but i, again, remind this house that we better policy in the bipartisan waters-mchenry bill for small do more business and that republicans, we support a re-authorization of the export-import bank, the export agency. we want that opportunity. his bill will not be voted on in the senate, not going to become law. i look forward to the day when e are on the house floor doing a bipartisan re-authorization of the export-import bank. yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the question is on offered by the gentlewoman from michigan. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the it. have the agreement -- the amendment is agreed to. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, urther proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from michigan will be postponed. it is now in order to consider mendment number 19 printed in house report 116-289. does the urpose gentlewoman from oklahoma seek recognition? cha

mr. hill: i thank my friend from tennessee and good friend from california for their leadership of our veterans affairs committee. they are a dynamic duo and i appreciate the opportunity to be on the floor to be on this list of good bills tonight. i want to thank my friend from new jersey, mr. kim, for his hard work and collaboration on this important bill for our veterans. mr. speaker, i have in the last five years i served in this house had over 3,200 cases completed and closed for veterans in my district. and as a former community banker, when i look at those cases and listen to these stories, this is a challenge for our veterans and it's a crazy challenge, mr. speaker. that withholding a payment can have severe consequences for our brave veterans who are out there just doing their jobs, through no fault of their own and through a computer messup or an i.t. problem, our veterans receive an overpayment and suddenly get a letter saying, hey, we made a mistake. you owe us $5,000 back. well, th

mr. hill's family in this regard. ramon hill jr.f five people gunned down at the house party off lucille way on halloween night. reporting live in the newsroom, lauren martinez, abc7 news. >>> thank you. in the east bay, a community in oakland is believing for one of their families ripped apart by a hit-and-run driver seven months ago. a dedication was held last night for angel garcia vasquez. his mother, alma vazquez and his uncle. they were all hit as they crossed foothill boulevard on august 13th. angel and alma died. jaime is still in a coma. right after the crash oakland's department of transportation installed these plastic posts and painted a pedestrian island in the middle of the intersection. but at the dedication they explained how they're making more safety improvements to this area. >> we determined that one intersection over at foothill and 27th avenue, there will be a new traffic signal constructed. and then here at foothill and 26th avenue we'll be installing flashing yellow lights. >> the alleged hit-and-run driver w

mr. hill's family in this regard. ramon hill jr.five people gunned down at the house party off lucille way on halloween night. reporting live in the newsroom, lauren martinez, abc7 news. >> thank you. >>> in the east bay, a community in oakland is still grieving for one of their families ripped apart by a hit-and-run driver seen months ago. a dedication was held last night for angel garcia vasquez. his mother, alma vazquez and his uncle. they were all hit as they crossed foothill boulevard on april 13th. paramedics tried to resuscitate the family but angel and alma died. jaime is still in a coma. right after the crash oakland's department of transportation installed these plastic posts and painted a pedestrian island in the middle of the intersection. at the dedication they explained how they're making more improvements to this area. >> we determined that one intersection over at foothill and 27th avenue, there will be a new traffic signal constructed. and then here at foothill and 26th avenue we'll be installing flashing yellow lig

mr. hill, going quickly through a series of questions and i have your answers here so this won't take long, and you've answered them generally, you should evaluate whether the country is worthy of our aid, is that fair to say? >> yes, sir. >> you understand that president trump has been skeptical of foreign aid and some of the money as well, is that so? >> i think so. >> that's been fairly consistent. he's done that since before he was elected. ukraine has a long history, and we've talked about that about a thousand times. do you think president trump, i think that was the word, that he would test president trump zelensky prior to providing some of the security assistance. >> president zelensky was new. >> yes. >> i'd met him in february. i was impressed by him, but it was understandable for the administration as a new president of ukraine was coming to office to understand better what that president's policies were and the attitude toward the united states. >> we've had it referred to and the

mr holmes i got to tell you. users here you're there a question for dr hill. mr holm in your testimony hughes said that sandland said he loves your ass and also said he'll do anything that you want mr holmes that information had nothing whatsoever to do the subject matter of any of these hearings it was it was anecdotal it was extraneous your statements that your interests are protecting ukraine are very dubious when you embarrass president zelinsky by making those statements even have to make who cares that ambassador saw them and said that you know you didn't bear as ambassador something you embarrassed zelinsky because you know he got asked this question is own country and people are hearing that statement as if it's i'm a gentleman has expired totally dubious of you that for the use of carson iraq you know you back thank you chairman thank you both for your service dr hill i'd like to talk a little bit more in-depth about chief of staff made moving any role in the events under investigation you testified ma'am that mr moving in bastra soundman were both inv

hill from washington, d.c., and mr. holmes from on the ground in kyiv. dr. hill became concerned about the presence of giuliani who was asserting quite frankly in public appearance that he had been given some authority over matters in ukraine. her boss joe bidhn bolton was p attention as well as holmes at the u.s. embassy in kyiv. bolton viewed giuliani has a hand grenade that is going to below everybo blow everybody else and was powerless to marie yovanovitch's firing. yovanovitch's dismissal as a result of giuliani's smear campaign was one of the things that concerned hill. lieutenant colonel alex vindman also was at the meeting. and they advised the leader to stay out of domestic politics. another concern that arose for dr. hill around this time was the discovery of a back channel on ukraine. hill learned that a staff member who did not work on ukraine and for her may have been providing ukraine related information to president trump that dr. hill was not made aware of. according to holmes, following the zelensky inauguration, sondland and perry took an ac

there is mr hill in the band. and hijacked american. damon. to be your movie modern you mean any higher to my foolish way or the other part of . me and if you pop your comment in the heloc to marry a police force how many will work for the like and feel as good as them how are we able to get them we are all damn happy in gazette. go in the full season. that fee to go is. on that. i hold. the cult on a fake and in the semifinal of the. haiti way about on the. little get in they have to live by the suburbs of the me go is. what i did. this awesome you know what i bought and that they hum in the rock and went ahead with a behavior that he. might identify the 2nd man is about and a. woman is very and they knew it i hate me and. it's just a myth on them and she's awful and they go as. such i mean i get. all that. with a right. ok. thank you. ellen. little cafe him and i laughed. and had the machine all the economy up squash . and then a gallop. and then a palestinian what i believe. and if i mean and i follow every motorway or i had a final motive

speaking of the fbi i learned that the drive-by shooting case and the cops used surveillance photos of mr. hill taken from an fbi camera. this case is extensive and involves many agencies. >> a very complex investigation. thank you. >>> in the wake of that shooting on halloween, city leaders in or in the will can consider changing the rental ordinance. they may consider restrictions or an outright ban. the city manager is expecting a large turnout. that meeting starts at 7 pm at the orinda library. >>> today is election day in the bay area and there are a number of how high profile races. four candidates are in the running for district attorney. include city public defender chase putin, former san francisco police commissioner, suzy loftus. she was chosen by mayor breed to serve as interim da and nancy chung. >>> there are six candidates on the ballot for san francisco mayor. the incumbent is hoping to win her first full term since being elected to fill the rest of the term of late mayor ed lee. also on the ballot are william peng and robert jordan. >>> voters will also be deciding on propositi

until we understand what mrs. hill really represents and what land reallyd -- sond represents and how they're supposed to be working for us -- we call them public service because they serve us -- then you will can show impeachment hearings or anything else. we are going to be going back and forth not understanding. c-span3's american history tv will be taking a look back at the impeachment inquiry of former president bill clinton. that will be in december. and to your point about career foreign service officers, we sat on yesterday with the global affairs and state department correspondent for politico to discuss the impact this is having on career foreign service officers. there are more than 77,000 state apartment employees. you can watch that conversation on our podcast, the weekly, on the free speech -- free c-span radio app or where you download your favorite podcasts. a call from hunter, new york. did anything change your mind this week? caller: yes, thank you for taking my call. i have followed this as closely a

. >> thank you, mr. hill. >> next speaker, please. >> my name is mark norton and i didn't get to speak at the last hearing because i had to go to work. i lived directly across the street. practically. i've been there for 35 years. this fourth floor they showed you the floor floor is invisible in the rendering. it will not be invisible from my house. either my living room or study. many i'm the person that looks at this more than anybody on the planet because where i am. i support the idea of having three units. it's a good idea. i don't think having an unaffordable by design one at the top is a good idea. my minute suppose already. this is a letter about the h.r.e. they didn't do when they created this new ceqa exemption. i know you didn't get paper before but there you have it in paper. this should be continued in the gentleman is willing to sit down and negotiate with the neighbors. i asked to sit down with them and talk the last couple of days and he ignored that request. >> thank you, very much. >> next s

chairman thank you and dr hill and mr holmes thank you both for being fact witnesses we are here as fact finders and we appreciate very much your presentations dr hill i want to verify this story i understand that when you were 11 years old there was a schoolboy who said you were pigtails on fire and you were taking a test you turned around with your hands. snuffed out the fire and then proceeded to finish your test is that a true story that is a true story was a bit surprised to see that pop up today it's one of the stories i occasionally tell because it had some very unfortunate consequences afterwards my mother gave me a bowl haircut so. the skill photograph letter in the week i looked like richard the 3rd or a cellphone going to be in a permanent well i think it underscores the fact that you speak. truth that you are steely and i truly respect that let me move to your testimony in your deposition you had indicated you were deeply troubled by the bitches. the attacks on her and you underscored again today that about serve at the pleasure of the president and certainly in the case of a

mr. hill: well, i thank the i have to thank my good friend from new jersey for his decades of service and for free here expression, for liberty in hong kong. by the speaker's tribute and appreciate her 30 thankof work there, and i mr. engel for his leadership from new york and, of course, my who friend from california, now is controlling time for the majority. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the hong kong human rights and democracy act nd stand with solidarity with the people of hong kong. or six months, we witnessed hong kong citizens protest their right to live in a free and fair and political system, an fully have.they over the last several weeks, we've witnessed the government levi lent -- ing increasinglygly -- violent. sad to come to this beautiful and energetic space. for three decades i've traveled witnessed their spirit and extraordinary work ethic. in fact, hong kong was the model for the post-world war ii growth and prosperity, now shared across the region. when a proponent

on issues relating to ukraine dr hill from washington d.c. and mr holmes from on the ground in kieve in early 2019 dr hill became concerned by the increasing prominence of rudy giuliani the president's personal lawyer who was as she has testified asserting quite frequently on television in public appearances that he had been given some authority over matters related to ukraine it was not alone in her concerns her boss national security adviser john bolton was also paying attention as were other n.s.c. and state department officials including homes at the u.s. embassy in kieve bolton viewed giuliani as a hand grenade that is going to blow everybody up. and was powerless to prevent the former mayor from engineering former u.s. ambassador to ukraine maria on a bitch is firing in late april or her recall holmes was stunned by the intensity and consistency of media attacks on the avantage by name as a u.s. ambassador and the scope of the allegations that were leveled against her. you have on a vicious dismissal as a result of giuliani's smear campaign wa

her post, forced out of her post to size past summer -- and holmes counselor in ukraine, it was mrs. hill who generated the most fireworks, the former top russian expert that said it was domestic political errands that forced gordon sondland, our ambassador to ukraine to do the president's bidding. he went on to say that sondland was involved in a domestic political errands, and we were being involved in national security, foreign policy. those two things had just diverged. many of her comments were echoed by mr. holmes, repudiated by republicans on that panel and reinforced by democrats. whether this moves the needles who might be leaning on the fence over the republicans could be more inclined to ask tougher questions of the president or raise doubts about the president, it is anyone's guess. tell mike they have been frequent critics of his position and how we have handled this matter. no needles seem to have moved here. it is still way too early to tell. this process is apparently know where neil done. my colleagues chris wallets and brett bayer right now what is your sense of where we

but mr. hill we're going through questions here. you agree states -- you understand as well president trump has been skeptical generally of foreign aid and some of the money we've given, is that fair as well? >> i think so. >> i think that's been fairly consistent. he's done that since before he was elected i think. we've talked about that about a thousand times. do you think it was right that president trump would test is the word i think is the word you used previously, he would test president zelensky prior to using the using th . >> you had some others, vice president pence and bolton as well as well as the burden sharing review was completed. and shortly thereafter the aid was released. is that your understanding? >> i was never informed as to why the assistance was released. i did read about it. >> okay, those events did happen and it seemed those are the reasons the aid was released. thank you. i yield back. >> thank you both for being here and thank you for your service. you've both been asked about the importance of this mi

but mr. hill, we are going quickly to these questions and i have her answers so this will not take long. you have answered them generally in the way. you think the united states should evaluate if the country is worthy? is that fair to say. >> yes, sir. >> president trump has been skeptical generally of foreign aid in sending the money that was given is out there as well? >> i think so. >> that's been fairlyynf hat cot before he was elected and others in the process have testified ukraine has a long history of corruption, that will not surprise anyone of us we talked about that a thousand times. do you think it wasy right the president would test president zelensky prior to providing security assistance? >> president zelensky was new, i met him in february, i was impressed by him but i think it was understandable for the ministration that a new president and ukraine was coming to office and to understand mibetter at what that policy wod be an add to toward the united states. >> i think that is key

mr. hill's testimony is that he's going in there to answer questions about ambassador yovanovitch. but what we can see so far in many of these testimonies that go on eight, nine, ten hours, a lot of other things come up. >> exactly. >> and so the potential to go in different directions beyond the sort of original core of the questioning is what may be the most valuable part of his appearance today. >> john, i want to ask you about the impact of david hale testimony? just a second. just on this point first. you heard from manu kind of what republicans, some republicans are saying this morning. i often find it takes a moment for it to marinate and set amongst republicans on capitol hill, where they are going to decide where they react. with ra ready to on sondland's revision what you hear from republicans is that this is only sondland's opinion and now they're saying that the only person to listen to is the testimony of curt volker, because he said that he didn't know about quid pro quo. is this now coming down to who is more credible when it comes to current and former officials tha

hill from washington dc and mr. holmes from on the ground in kiev. in early 2019 dr. hill became impressed with the personal grievances. hill was not alone in her concerns. her boss and national security advisor was also paying attention as were other nsc and state department officials including holmes at the embassy in kiev. he viewed goouli ygiuliani that hand grenade that would blow everyone up.na holmes was stunned by the consistency of attacks on yovanovitch. yovanovitch's dismissal as a result of giuliani's smear campaign is one thing that bothered dr. hill, along with ukraine policy in may when he was lead by secretary rick perry to president zelensky's nomination. alexander vindman also attended the inauguration. and in a meeting with president zelensky took the opportunity to advise the ukraine lead tore stayai out of u.s. domestic politics. anotherti concern that rose for dr. hill was the discovery of a nsc back channel on ukraine. and forn her may have been providing ukraine related information to president trump that dr.re hill was not made awe of. accordin

until we understand what mrs. hilleally represents and what land reallyd -- sond represents and how they're supposed to be working for us -- we call them public service because they serve us -- then you will can show impeachment hearings or anything else. we are going to be going back and forth not understanding. c-span3's american history tv will be taking a look back at the impeachment inquiry of former president bill clinton. that will be in december. and to your point about career foreign service officers, we sat on yesterday with the global affairs and state department correspondent for politico to discuss the impact this is having on career foreign service officers. there are more than 77,000 state apartment employees. you can watch that conversation on our podcast, the weekly, on the free speech -- free c-span radio app or where you download your favorite podcasts. a call from hunter, new york. did anything change your mind this week? caller: yes, thank you for taking my call. i have followed this as closely as

had you ever had any discussions with mr marson about concerns that he or dr hill had with you or your judgment did i ever have any conversations with mr marson about you know ok. did mr marson ever express concerns to you that he thought maybe you weren't following the chain of command in all instances he did not and. did dr hill or mr marson ever. ask you questions about whether you were trying to access information outside of your lane they did not. and. another you know aspect of the ukraine portfolio that you were not a part of or some of the communications mr marson was having with ambassador taylor correct and did you ever express concern that he was leaving you off those calls. well certainly it was concerning he had just come on board he didn't have the you know he was in steeped in all the items that we were working on including the policy that we had developed over the preceding months. and i thought i could contribute to that too is the performance of his duties ok when you were you went to ukraine for the inauguration correct i have and any point during that trip did mr do

both mr holmes and dr hill suggested was done for political reasons this was seen as sort of derailing american foreign policy making better yvon of it was removed it seems at the behest of mr giuliani in part because she was seen as an obstacle to the investigation that giuliani and song one wanted one thing that came out of songlines testimony yesterday that's particularly damning is suggesting that a number of white house staffers knew about this sort of shadow foreign policy effort and were involved in it including. chief of staff more veiny but also secretary of state pompei oh and the vice president and the president himself that's pretty damning it's serious ok so what is spin testify what the testimony that has come out is that there was this quid pro quo multiple witnesses have said this that the president's lunch he would not get a meeting at the white house with president trump and they would not be released if he did not make an announcement not necessarily actually make an investigation but make an announcement about an investigation into the company and the bidens and let

hill from washington, d.c., and mr. holmes from on the ground in kyiv. dr. hill became concerned about the presence of giuliani who was asserting quite frankly in public appearance that he had been given some authority over matters in ukraine. her boss joe bidhn bolton was p attention as well as holmes at the u.s. embassy in kyiv. bolton viewed giuliani has a hand grenade that is going to below everybo blow everybody else and was powerless to marie yovanovitch's firing. yovanovitch's dismissal as a result of giuliani's smear campaign was one of the things that concerned hill. lieutenant colonel alex vindman also was at the meeting. and they advised the leader to stay out of domestic politics. another concern that arose for dr. hill around this time was the discovery of a back channel on ukraine. hill learned that a staff member who did not work on ukraine and for her may have been providing ukraine related information to president trump that dr. hill was not made aware of. according to holmes, following the zelensky inauguration, sondland and perry took an ac

mr. hill: i thank the speaker. oday i rise to mark global entrepreneurship week where all across the globe, cities will be hosting events that will inspire millions to explore their potential as an entrepreneur while fostering connections and increasing collaborations within their communities. small business -- small businesses and entrepreneurs are the engines of our economy in arkansas and across our country. they support millions of jobs in this nation, they create and support jobs within their local community, and employ approximately half the private sector workers in the united states. as a co-chairman and founder of the house entrepreneurship caucus i'm proud to celebrate the visionary men and women who boldly pursue their passion to build a growth -- build the growth businesses that fuel our economy. the united states has served as a global beacon of innovation, delivering remarkable new products and services that improve the lives of all americans. today over 99% of u.s. employers are small businesses that

councilor bull his executive secretary lisa khanna and also communications with ambassador bolton dr hill mr morrison and their staff at the n.s.c. they knew what we were doing and why. on july 10th 2019 senior ukrainian national security officials met with ambassador bolton ambassador volker dr hill secretary perry myself and several others in washington d.c. during that meeting we all discussed the importance of the 2 action items i identified earlier one it working phone call and 2 it white house meeting between presidents trump and selenski from my perspective the july 10th meeting was a positive step toward accomplishing our shared goals while i am now aware of accounts of the meeting from dr hill and lieutenant colonel van men their recollections of those events simply don't square with my own or with those of them bassett or volker or secretary perry i recall mentioning the prerequisite of investigations before any white house call or meeting but i do not recall any yelling or screaming or abrupt terminations as as others have said instead after the meeting ambassador bolton walked ou

hill from washington d.c. and mr. holmes from on the ground in kyiv. in early 2019, dr. hill became concerned by the increasing prominence of rudy giuliani, the president's personal lawyer who was, as he has testified, ass t asserting quite frequently on television and public appearances that he had been given some authority over matters related to ukraine. hill was not alone in her concerns. her boss, national security adviser john bolton was also paying attention, as were other nsc and state department officials including holmes at the u.s. embassy in kyiv. bolton viewed giuliani as a hand grenade that is going to blow everybody up and was powerless to prevent the former r engineering former u.s. ambassador to ukraine marie yovanovitch's firing in late april or her recall. holmes was stunned by the consistency of media attacks on yovanovitch by name as a u.s. ambassador and the scope of the allegations that were leveled against her. yovanovitch's dismissal as a result of giuliani's smear campaign was one of several things that unsettled dr. hill. another was the role of

mr. morrison about concerns that he or dr. hill had with your judgment? >> did i ever have any conversations with mr. morrison about it? >> yeah. >> no. >> okay. did mr. morrison ever express concerns to you that he thought maybe you weren't following the chain of command in all instances? >> he did not. >> and did dr. hill or mr. morrison ever ask you questions about whether you were trying to access information outside of your lane? >> they did not. >> and another, you know,s aspe of the ukraine portfolio that you were not a part of were some of the communications mr. morrison was having with ambassador taylor? >> correct. >> did you ever ebs prexpress c that he was leaving you off those calls? >> well, certainly it was concerning. he had just come on board. he didn't have the -- you know, he wasn't steeped in all the items that we were working on, including the policy that we had developed over the preceding months, and i thought i could contribute to that, to the performance of his duties. >> okay. when you were -- you went to ukraine for the inaugurat

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas, mr. hill is recognized. mr. hill: i thank the speaker, want to thank ms. wagner and the gentleman from texas for their work on this legislation. we don't do perfect in the house of representatives. we do the best we can in the house of representatives. and we worked on both sides of the aisle for years to craft something that's needed to be dealt with for well over two decades which is to authorize the cdbg program for disasters in the right way. i congratulate mr. green and ms. waling for the -- wagner for their work. as a volunteer after ka tria working in the very poor community in louisiana rebuilding houses, i saw firsthand the good and bad of federal assistance. as it relates to post-hurricane recovery and mitigation. and i fully understand why this legislation is so badly needed. in 2013, the inspector general found that $700 million, mr. speaker, in cdbg disaster money following hurricane katrina had gone missing. was unaccounted for. and in march of this year, the g.a.o. issued a report saying better mon

mr. morrison about concerns that he or dr. hill had with your judgment? >> did i ever have any conversations with mr. morrison about it? no. >> okay. did mr. morrison after express concerns to you that he thought maybe you weren't following the chain of command in all instances? >> he did not. >> did dr. hill or mr. morrison ever ask you questions about whether you were trying to access information outside of your lane? >> they did not. >> and another aspect of the ukraine portfolio that you were not a part of were some of the communications mr. morrison was having with ambassador taylor. >> correct. >> did you ever express concerns that he was leave iing you off those calls? >> well certainly it was concerning. he had just come on board. he didn't have the you know, he wasn't steeped in all the items that we were working on including the policy that we had developed over the proceeding months. and i thought i could contribute to that, to his, to the performance of his duties. >> okay. when you were, you went to ukraine for the inauguration? >> correct. >>

hill and mr. morrison can all come forward of their own volition and respond. >> martha: i think it's probably because he worked so closely with the president. it's a much more high level executive privilege issue. they all maintain that they didn't have much interaction with the president at all. >> i believe that john bolton has a patriotic duty to come forward. we are exercising our constitutional responsibility in this impeachment inquiry and frankly i think that all to be a transcendent consideration in ambassador bolton's mind. >> martha: denny heck, congressman, thank you for being here. >> thank you, martha. >> martha: joined now by hogan gidley deputy white house press secretary. good to have you with us tonight. what's the mood at the white house? there have been some stories about the president, you know, being very upset. emotional at times. very calm at other times about all of this. what would you say? >> one word would be jubilant. that's the first thing that came to my mind. i have

mr. holmes, you are recognized for your opening statement. dr. hillyou will be immediately recognized thereafter for your opening statement. : good morning, mr. chairman, members of the committee. my name is david holmes. i and a career foreign service officer the department of state. since august 2017, i have been a political counselor at the u.s. embassy in kiev. while it is an honor to appear before you, i want to make clear i did not seek this opportunity to testify today. since you determined i may have something of value to these proceedings and issued a subpoena, it is my obligation to tell you what i know. as secretary pompeo stated, i hope everyone does so truthfully and accurately. when they do, the oversight role will have been performed. i think america will see what took place here. that is my only goal, to testify truthfully to enable you to perform that role. i put together this statement to lay out as best i can my recollection of events relevant to this matter. i spent my entire professional career as a foreign service officer. like m