ICIG News Summary Report suspected fraud, waste, and abuse

ICIG News Summary Report suspected fraud, waste, and abuse ICIG Hotline 855.731-32601 Fax: 571.204.8088 Secure ICIG Hotline: 933.2800 Email: ICIGHotline@dn7gov Secure Email: ICIGHollIneakinlic.gov wwwcinl.govilCIG-WhIstleblowerl Public/Media Inquiries: IC_IG_PAOradni.gov Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Online version available at icig.bulletinintelligence.com DATE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 8:00 AM EST TODAY'S EDITION This Day In History 1945: Nuremberg Trials Begin In Germany. 1 Whistleblowing News Trump Says He Will "Strongly Consider Providing Written Responses To House Impeachment Questions 1 Witnesses Offer First-Hand Accounts Of Trump-Zelensky Call 3 Trump Highlights Taylor, Kent Reluctance To Identify "Impeachable Offense." 6 Trump Dismisses Impeachment "Hoax; Will Release Transcript Of First Zelensky Call 8 Lawmakers Question OMB's Sandy, Release Transcripts From Another Two Closed-Door Impeachment Hearings 9 Additional Commentary On Whistleblower Issues 10 Assange's Attorney Tells Court He Has Unsuitable Computer In Jail 12 ICIG In the News Trump Criticizes Intelligence Inspector General For Seeking "Publicity For Himself: 12 Graham Says Horowitz Will Testify About FISA Abuse Probe On Dec. 11 12 Other IG News Epstein Guards Charged With Falsifying Records 13 DOJ IG Finds Security Risks In FBI Handling Of Confidential Sources 13 Pentagon IG: US Withdrawal From Northern Syria Helps ISIS Reconstitute 14 Giuliani Offers Bizarre Explanation For "Misleading' Claims About Clinton 14 Watchdogs Say VA Continues To Struggle With Cybersecurity Issues 14 OIG Reports Says HHS' Failure To Modernize Data Practices Will Limit Ability To Improve Nation's Health. 14 DHS OIG Report USCIS 'Flags Leadership, Cyber Issues: 15 DOL OIG Calls For Faster Migrant Worker Application Processing 15 DOE: Hanford Employees Lack Protections 15 Government Now Flagging Nursing Homes Recently Cited For Abuse 15 THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1945: Nuremberg Trials Begin In Germany. on November 20, 1945, the Nuremberg trials began in Nuremberg, Germany. Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence "presided over the proceedings, which lasted 10 months and consisted of 216 court sessions: The trials 'Were conducted by an international tribunal made up of representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Great Britain: WHISTLEBLOWING NEWS: Trump Says He Will "Strongly Consider" Providing Written Responses To House Impeachment Questions. In a tweet Monday morning, President Trump said he would 'strongly consider" consider submitting written testimony to the House impeachment inquiry "in order to get Congress focused again: Trump wrote, "Our Crazy, Do Nothing (where's USMCA, infrastructure, lower drug pricing & much more?) Speaker of the House, Nervous Nancy Pelosi, who is petrified by her Radical Left knowing she will soon be gone (they & Fake News Media are her BOSS), suggested on Sunday's DEFACE THE NATION that I testify about the phony Impeachment Witch Hunt. She also said I could do it in writing. Even though I did nothing wrong, and don't like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!" Reuters (11/18, Wolfe, Lynch) reports lawmakers "have not formally called Trump as a witness in the impeachment inquiry? but House Speaker Pelosi said on CBS' Face The EFTA01653163 Nation Sunday, 'The President could come right before the committee and speak all the truth that he wants if he wants to take the oath of office...or he can do it in writing. He has every opportunity to present his case." Norah O'Donnell said on the CBS Evening News (11/18, story 3, 1:30, 4.62M) that Trump "surprised his own White House staff' with the tweet. Bloomberg (11/18, 4.73M) says Trump's tweet "contrasts with his defiant approach to the impeachment inquiry thus far," and The Hill (11/18, Samuels, 2.98M) that it comes "despite his repeated refusal to cooperate with the investigation thus far." USA Today (11/18, Jackson, 10.31M) reports, "Some legal analysts expressed skepticism about Trump's sincerity." Lester Holt said on NBC Nightly News (11/18, story 4, 0:50, 6.22M) that "there are questions if it would really happen," and Jim Acosta said on CNN's Situation Room (11/18, 838K), "Democratic aides at this point say they are not taking" Trump's comments "very seriously." Similarly, on ABC World News Tonight (11118, story 4, 2:50, Muir, 6.97M), Mary Bruce also said Trump's testifying "seems unlikely." Likewise, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said on CNN's Situation Room (11118, 838K), "He hasn't turned over his taxes despite saying for years that he would do that. He didn't show up in person with Bob Mueller despite saying he would do that. He sent written answers, which hit looks like he may have falsified, to the Mueller team. But more than that, we would like him to just allow the witnesses we have subpoenaed to come to Congress and the documents we have subpoenaed to be provided to the committee. So, he's not serious in this process and I don't think it's worth our time engaging with him on this other than to say we have a lot of evidence right now and we shouldn't allow him to dictate the terms for this investigation." Politico (11/18, Marshall, 4.29M) says that if Trump "were to submit a written statement rather than appearing in person, he would avoid live questioning that could put him in danger of accidentally perjuring himself." However, "his answers would still be considered under oath." The AP (11/18, Miller) says Trump "provided written answers to questions from special counsel Robert Mueller during his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election." But, Mueller "found many of Trump's answers in the Russia probe less than satisfying." House Investigators Looking Into Whether Trump Lied In Written Answers To Mueller. The New York Times (11/18, Savage, 18.61M) reports that Douglas Letter, the general counsel for the House, told a federal appeals court Monday that House impeachment investigators are "exploring whether President Trump lied in his written answers- to then- Special Counsel Robert Mueller, thereby "raising the prospect of bringing an additional basis for a Senate trial over whether to remove- Trump from office. Letter "told a federal appeals court panel that impeachment investigators have an 'immense' need to swiftly see the grand jury evidence — redacted portions of the Mueller report, as well as the underlying testimony transcripts they came from." The Washington Post (11/18, Marimow, Hsu, 14.2M) reports that Letter's "request followed closely on the heels of Friday's conviction of longtime Trump friend Roger Stone." According to the Post, "Testimony and evidence at his trial appeared to cast doubt on written replies from Trump to Mueller about the president's knowledge about attempts by his 2016 campaign to learn more about the release of hacked Democratic emails by the anti-secrecy group WildLeaks." Reuters (11/18, Wolfe) says that during Stone's trial, Rick Gates, Trump's former deputy campaign chairman, "suggested in testimony during a jury trial in a criminal case that Trump talked to...Stone about WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign." According to Reuters, Gates' testimony "appeared to conflict with sworn written statements that Trump gave Mueller." Mueller wrote to Mueller, "I do not recall discussing WikiLeaks with [Stone]. Nor do I recall being aware of Mr. Stone having discussed WikiLeaks with individuals associated with my campaign." Pelosi Argues Leaving Trump's Fate To The Election Would Be "Dangerous." The Washington Post (11/18, Wagner, Shammas, 14.2M) reports that in a letter to House Democrats Monday, House Speaker Pelosi asserted that -the facts of the impeachment inquiry are 'uncontested,'" and that Trump "abused his power for his own personal, political benefit, at the expense of our national security interests." Pelosi "also argued that it would be "dangerous" to leave Trump's fate to next year's election because 'the President is jeopardizing the integrity of the 2020 elections."' ABC Poll: 70% Call Trump's Ukraine Actions 'Wrong'; 51% Support Impeachment And Removal. ABC News (11/18, 2.97M) reports on its website that according to a new ABC NewslIpsos poll, "an overwhelming 70% of Americans think President Donald Trump's request to a foreign leader to investigate his political rival...was wrong," and 51 percent believe Trump "should be impeached and removed from office." Politico (11/18, Forgey, 4.29M) reports that "13 percent also deemed the president's push for foreign investigations of his rivals to be wrong, but believed he should neither be impeached nor convicted by Congress. A quarter of respondents, 25 percent, said Trump did nothing wrong." The New York Times (11/18, Stolberg, 18.61M) reports, "The survey found 58 percent of Americans are following the [impeachment] hearings closely or somewhat closely." Impeachment Inquiry To Hear From Officials Who Were On Trump-Zelensky Call. Mary Bruce reported on ABC World News Tonight (11/18, story 4, 2:50, Muir, 6.97M) that Congress on Tuesday will 'bear from three officials who were on that call between Trump and the Ukrainian President. Jennifer Williams, a special adviser to the Vice President, called it 'unusual and inappropriate, - and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who told investigators, "I did not think it 2 EFTA01653164 was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen." Bruce added that 'he most anticipated witness of the week is Gordon Sondland, the Trump mega-donor turned US Ambassador to the EU. Sondland has already revised his testimony once, admitting he personally told the Ukrainians that if they wanted nearly $400 million of military aid, they would have to publicly commit to investigate the Bidens." Bruce added that democrats announced Monday that David Holmes, who "testified he overheard one of their phone calls in a restaurant in Kiev," will "testify in public on Thursday." State Officials Heard Of Zelensky's Concerns About Biden Probe Pressure In May. The AP (11/18, Butler, Biesecker) reports that State Department officials were informed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "was feeling pressure from the Trump administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden even before the July phone call that has led to impeachment hearings in Washington." According to the AP, in May, "officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, including then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch," were told Zelensky Vas seeking advice on how to navigate the difficult position he was in," and Vas concerned' Trump and "associates were pressing him to take action that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential race." Embassy Staffer Who Says He Overheard Trump- Sondland Call To Testify Tuesday. The CBS Evening News (11/18, story 2, 2:30, O'Donnell, 4.62M) reported, "Democrats added a new witness to the impeachment inquiry late today: the embassy staffer who says he overheard the President on the phone asking about investigations into the Bidens. David Holmes will be the ninth witness in a rapid-fire round of hearings that kick off tomorrow." The AP (11/18) reports Holmes "overheard Trump talking about the investigations on a phone call" with US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland. The Washington Post (11/18, Zapotosky, Demirjian, Nakashima, Viebeck, 14.2M) reports Holmes 'told lawmakers last week that he was shocked to overhear" the call in which Sondland "assured President Trump that Ukrainian officials would pursue an investigation of interest to the U.S. commander in chief — a probe which the diplomat later suggested was of former Vice President Joe Biden. Holmes "also testified that the Ukrainians 'gradually came to understand that they were being asked to do something in exchange' for a White House meeting or military aid." Vindman To Appear Before Impeachment Panel Tuesday. The Washington Post (11/18, Hamburger, Leonnig, Bade, 14.2M) reports, "The House impeachment hearing Tuesday is set to feature one of the Democrats' star witnesses: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient who is expected to testify about his alarm at President Trump's request that Ukraine investigate his political opponents." Republicans "are also seizing on Vindman's testimony as an opportunity, signaling that they plan to try to discredit one of the key witnesses in the inquiry by questioning his motives and his loyalty to the president." The Post says the "high-stakes appearance could provide some of the most contentious moments in the public hearings." "Sources" Tell CNN Trump Has Said He Wants To Fire Impeachment Witnesses. Anderson Cooper said on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 (11/18, 969K), "Sources tell CNN that President Trump has again said he wants to fire witnesses who have testified against him in the impeachment hearings, prompting his aides to consider moving those witnesses, some of them out of the White House, and back to their home departments within the government." McConnell Predicts Impeachment Trial Will Carry Into 2020. Politico (11/18, Everett, 4.29M) reports Senate Majority Leader McConnell said Sunday that the House will likely be considering impeachment until Christmas, which will push a trial in the Senate into 2020. McConnell told reporters in Louisville, "It looks to me like the House is going to be on this until Christmas, then it comes over to the Senate. It displaces all other business. ... I don't know how long senators will want to continue the trial, but I'm pretty confident that in the end impeachment will not lead to ouster." Politico says that timeline means the trial "is almost certain to conflict with the efforts of a half-dozen Democratic senators to win the party's nomination for president." How House Staffers Learned US Aid To Ukraine Was Frozen And What They Did Next. NBC News (11/18, 6.14M) reports on the events that led to the discovery that financial assistance to Ukraine had been frozen and actions taken to get the money released. Two days after "a whistleblower secretly filed a complaint about President Trump's dealings with Ukraine in August, two top congressional staffers arrived in Kyiv on a routine business trip that ended up setting off alarm bells on Capitol Hill.' The aides "work for the Democratic leadership of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for federal spending.' They had been "dispatched to make an on-the- ground assessment of the cash Congress has been pumping into former Soviet states — including Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine — to aid their defenses against Russian aggression." But after traveling from Chisinau, the staffers 'were shocked to learn from US embassy officials that there was no new money coming into Ukraine." Witnesses Offer First-Hand Accounts Of Trump-Zelensky Call. According to the AP (11/19), "Republicans have consistently criticized the House impeachment inquiry by saying witnesses didn't have firsthand knowledge of" President Trump's "role in trying to persuade Ukraine to investigate a chief political rival." However, the AP says that after today's public hearing, -that posture is suddenly more difficult to maintain" because "the two witnesses in Tuesday morning's session each listened to 3 EFTA01653165 the July 25 phone call in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden." Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified before the House Intelligence Committee today that Trump's call with Ukrainian President Zelensky was Improper" and he considered it his "duty to pass along his concerns. However, the AP (11/19, Mascaro, Jalonick) says Republicans on the panel "tried to undercut the national security official with pointed exchanges questioning his loyalty: The AP also says Vindman "deflected repeated Republican efforts to divulge everyone he told about it — thwarting Trump allies' attempts to identify the anonymous whistleblower who spurred the impeachment probe." Politico (11/19, Bertrand, Forgey, Marshall, 4.29M) reports that Vindman 'explained that he had already 'alerted' White House lawyer John Eisenberg to Gordon Sondland's push for political investigations during a July 10 meeting at the White House with Ukrainian officials, and that subsequent to reporting the contents of that meeting to Eisenberg he was 'invited to follow up with any other concerns.- Politico adds, "So he reported Trump's July 25 comments to Eisenberg 'without hesitation,' he testified.- The New York Times (11/19, Hakim, 18.61M) reports that "because [Vindman] was a key point of contact with Ukrainian officials, they sought his guidance on" Rudy Giuliani's "efforts to push the investigations." According to the Times, Vindman, "reflecting the National Security Council's policy...advised Ukrainian officials, including Mr. Zelensky, to steer clear of American politics." The AP (11/19, Mascaro, Jalonick) says the Republicans' lead counsel "asked at one point about an offer to Vindman from a Ukrainian official to become the country's defense minister." According to the AP, Vindman "called it 'comical' and said he swiftly reported it up his chain of command." Politico (11/19, Bertrand, Forgey, Marshall, 4.29M) reports that Vindman 'testified that Alexander Danyliuk, Zelensky's national security adviser, on at least three occasions offered him the role of Ukrainian defense minister." Bloomberg (11/19, 4.73M) reports that Danyiyuk said today that 'the suggestion 'was made in joking manner, which was clear by the context and tone,"' and "added that is was also clear that Vindman took it as a joke." Reuters (11/19, Zengerle, Freifeld, Landay) reports that "even as he was testifying, the White House's official Twitter account attacked [Vindman's] judgment — even though he is a current White House official, and the president's son Donald Trump Jr. assailed him in a separate Twitter post as 'a low level partisan bureaucrat and nothing more." Pence's National Security Adviser: Williams Never Voiced Concerns About Trump-Zelensky Call. Politico (11/19, Desiderio, Cheney, 4.29M) reports that Jennifer Williams, an adviser to Vice President Pence described the Trump-Zelensky phone call as "unusual" because it 'involved discussion of what appeared to be a domestic political matter,' rather than U.S. foreign policy goals in the region. The references to Biden 'struck me as political in nature given that the former vice president is a political opponent of the president,' Williams said, but she declined to speculate about Trump's motives." Bloomberg (11/19, 4.73M) reports that Keith Kellogg, Pence's national security adviser, "said in a statement Tuesday that he listened to Trump's July 25 phone call with...Zelenskiy and that he 'heard nothing wrong or improper.'" Bloomberg says Kellogg issued the statement after Williams testified that she "didn't inform him of any concerns after the call." Kellog said, "In fact, she never reported any personal or professional concerns to any other member of the vice president's staff, including our chief of staff and the vice president." The New York Times (11/19, Baker, Shear, 18.61M) reports that Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, "went on Fox News to make the same point. 'She said she found the call unusual yet she never raised any concerns with her supervisor General Kellogg, she never raised any concerns with the chief of staff, she never raised any concerns with the vice president,' he said." In a profile of Williams published before her appearance today, the New York Times (11/19, Shear, 18.61M) says Democrats are "interested in what Mr. Pence knew about the effort to withhold security aid in exchange for a commitment to investigate the Bidens." According to the Times, 'During the closed-door deposition, Ms. Williams told lawmakers that she was not aware that the vice president was involved in any discussions about the investigations. She said Mr. Pence did not mention investigations to Mr. Zelensky." Morrison: Trump-Zelensky Call Included Nothing Illegal. The New York Times (11/19, Baker, Shear, 18.61M) reports that Timothy Morrison, the former senior director for Europe and Ukraine at the National Security Council, "said he did not think the president's July 25 call...was inherently wrong or illegal, but feared it would ignite a political storm if it became public." Morrison is quoted as saying, "I feared at the time of the call on July 25 how its disclosure would play in Washington's dimate.... My fears have been realized." Volker Says He Misunderstood Import Of Push For Burisma Probe. The Washington Post (11/19, Wagner, Itkowit, 14.2M) reports that Kurt Volker, a former envoy to Ukraine, testified before the House Intelligence Committee today that he "should have realized President Trump's true motives in demanding that Ukraine investigate Burisma, a natural gas company that employed former vice president Joe Biden's son Hunter." Volker is quoted as saying, "I did not understand that others believed that an investigation of the Ukrainian company Burisma, which had a history of accusations of corruption, was tantamount to investigating Vice President Biden. I drew a sharp distinction between the two: However, the Post says Volker's testimony is "belied by text messages that he tumed over to the House Intelligence 4 EFTA01653166 Committee last month, which show acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William B. Taylor Jr. raising precisely that concern." Both Vindman And Williams Say Transcript Of July 25 Was Generally Accurate. The Federalist (11/19, Marcus, 126K) says both Vindman and Williams testified that "the transcript of the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zolodymyr Zelensky was substantively accurate." According to the Federalist, "In direct response to a question as to whether the transcript was complete and accurate, neither suggested that it was not, except for minor details they found in their notes of the call." The Federalist says that "blows up a month-long lie pushed by Democrats and their media allies that the transcript was partial, or redacted, suggesting that the White House was potentially hiding important details." Nunes Questions Vindman's Claim To Not Know Whistleblower's identity. The Daily Caller (11/19, 716K) reports that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff "quickly interrupted" Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman during his testimony today after he "admitted that he had spoken to others about" President Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. The Daily Caller says Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the top Republican on the panel, sask[ed] who Vindman might have spoken to about the call and his concerns about the implications of that call." Schiff said, "We need to protect the whistle-blower. Please stop. I want to make sure that there is no effort to out the whistle-blower through these proceedings." However, Nunes "pointed out then that LTC Vindman had, in his deposition, stated that he did not know the identity of the whistleblower — which Vindman confirmed. 'How it is possible for you to name the people and then out the whistle-blower?' Nunes asked then." The Federalist (11/19, 126K) reports that Vindman today "admitted...to leaking information to the anti-Trump whistleblower at the center of the Democrats' partisan impeachment proceedings." According to the Federalist, "When pressed on who Vindman spoke with about the call, Vindman said he spoke with two individuals not in the White House, including Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent and another individual in the intelligence community that Vindman refused to name before being cut off by...Schiff." The Federalist says Vindman lestified under oath in a private deposition last month that he was unaware of who the whistleblower was." Today, Nunes "pressed Vindman on how it is possible that he might out the whistleblower if he does not know the identity of the whistleblower." The New York Times (11/19, Baker, Shear, 18.61M) reports that Nunes also "sought to turn the focus away from Mr. Trump to Mr. Biden, leading the witnesses through a series of questions intended to suggest that the former vice president had intervened in Ukraine's domestic affairs to benefit his son, Hunter Biden, despite the lack of evidence." Johnson Cites Whistleblower Attorney's Anti- Trump Comments. The Washington Examiner (11/17, Pearce, 448K) reports that in an appearance on NBC's Meet The Press (11/17, 2.8M), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) cited past statements from the whistleblower's attorney as evidence that the impeachment inquiry is partisan. Johnson said, "Now, if this whistleblower is to be lionized by the Washington Post, then maybe we ought to take a look at who he hired.... He hired Mark Zaid, who said, 'Coup has started. First of many steps. Impeachment will follow ultimately.' Now, that is not an unbiased officer of the court. So, there is something going on here, Chuck. That's my point." Johnson was referring to "a tweet Zaid sent out on Jan. 30, 2017, just days after Trump was inaugurated." Zaid wrote, ltcoup has started. First of many steps. #rebellion. /*impeachment will follow ultimately. #lawyers." The Washington Post (11/17, Sonmez, Demirjian, Macmillan, 14.2M) reports Johnson said Administration officials who provided information to the whistleblower about the President's efforts to pressure Ukraine "exposed things that didn't need to be exposed' Johnson said, "This would have been far better off if we would've just taken care of this behind the scenes.... We have two branches of government. Most people, most people wanted to support Ukraine. We were trying to convince President Trump." In a tweet Sunday afternoon President Trump again called for the whistleblower to come forward. Trump wrote, "Where is the Fake Whistleblower?" Bannon Says He Pushed For Alleged Whistleblower To Removed From NSC. The Daily Caller (11/17, Ross, 716K) reports former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said in an interview with VICE published Friday 'that when he was at the White House in 2017, he was involved in an effort to remove an intelligence officer suspected of being the Trump whistleblower from the National Security Council due to concerns about leaks." Bannon "said he does not believe that the whistleblower needs to be identified publicly, but he did confirm his involvement in efforts to remove an individual now rumored to be the whistleblower from the NSC." He said, "I don't think the individual naming of the whistleblower is important, although there was a story in The Washington Times...that tied me to the efforts to get, at least, the gentleman who was named out of the National Security Council." Asked if the story was true, Bannon said, 'The individual that was named, absolutely true." Trump: Whistleblower's Identity Is "No Great Secret." The Hill (11/15, Cohn, 2.98M) reports that on 'The Dan Bongino Show," President Trump on Friday "claimed the identity of the whistleblower who first raised concerns about his relationship with Ukraine is known to everyone in D.C." Trump said, "Everyone in Washington knows who it is, by the way. The whistleblower is no great secret." He added, "Everybody knows who the whistleblower is, and [it] has to be 5 EFTA01653167 revealed." However, The Hill says that Trump did not state the name. SEC Rethinking Plans To Alter Whistleblower Program, Sources Say. The Securities and Exchange Commission "is rethinking a proposal that could weaken a landmark whistleblower program after a pushback from whistleblower lawyers and advocates, people with knowledge of the deliberations told" Reuters (11/15, Johnson, Prentice), which reports the program "is widely considered a major success, resulting in more than $2 billion in penalties against firms such as JPMorgan and Bank of America and $387 million in rewards. Weakening the program would hamper the agency's ability to detect and prosecute white collar crime, say lawyers." Trump Highlights Taylor, Kent Reluctance To Identify "Impeachable Offense." In a tweet Thursday, President Trump highlighted that in their testimony Thursday, Acting Ukraine Ambassador William Taylor and State Department official George Kent did not respond when Rep. John Ratdiffe (R-TX) called on them to identify the "impeachable offense" in his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump wrote, "@RepRatcliffe asked the two 'star witnesses, 'where is the impeachable event in that call?' Both stared straight ahead with a blank look on their face, remained silent, & were unable to answer the question. That would be the end of a case run by normal people! — but not Shifty!" Taylor, Kent Say Volker Advised Ukrainian Officials Against Investigating Political Rivals. The Washington Examiner (11/14, Gehrke, 448K) reports that Acting Ukraine Ambassador William Taylor and State Department official George Kent testified last month that a Sept. 14 meeting led by Kurt Volker, the State Departments lead negotiator for the war in Ukraine at the time, "deteriorated into an angry confrontation: Taylor was present at the meeting along with Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak. Taylor and Kent testified that in the meeting, 'Volker discouraged Ukrainian officials from investigating former President Petro Poroshenko, whom current President Volodymyr Zelensky defeated in April: Volker "argued that it is wrong to use the judicial system to target political rivals. But Zelensky's aide dismissed that rebuke by invoking Trump's desire for investigations into Democratic politicians." The Examiner says the exchange "underscores the Zelensky team's perception that they were being pressured to accuse Biden of corruption in order to help President Trump's reelection campaign." Second Source Claims To Have Overheard Sondland Talking To Trump From Kiev. The AP (11/14, Butler) reports that "a second U.S. Embassy staffer in Kyiv overheard a cellphone call between" Trump and Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, "discussing a need for Ukrainian officials to pursue 'investigations.'" The July 26 call Vas first described during testimony Wednesday by William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine," who "said one of his staffers overhead the call while Sondland was in a Kyiv restaurant the day after Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that triggered the House impeachment inquiry: According to the AP, "The second diplomatic staffer also at the table was Suriya Jayanti, a foreign service officer based in Kyiv." The Washington Post (11/14, Wagner, 14.2M) reports that Jayanti was the embassy official tasked with accompanying Sondland throughout the day of the call." Mary Bruce said on ABC World News Tonight (11/14, story 6, 0:30, Muir, 6.71M) that on Friday, lawmakers will hear from David Holmes, the Taylor aide who heard Trump's phone call with Sondland. Holmes 'will be pressed on what he overheard the President saying." Bruce added, "Lawmakers may want to question the other staffer who reportedly also overheard the phone call." Peter Alexander said on NBC Nightly News (11/14, story 4, 0:55, Holt, 5.7M) that Democrats say the call "lies President Trump to the pressure campaign on Ukraine." Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) said on CNN's Situation Room (11/14, 1.06M), "What is dear is that what' Taylor's aide "witnessed and what he overheard, I think it reaffirms what we already know, that President Trump attempted to use Congress- approved taxpayer dollars to hang over the head of the Ukrainian government in an attempt to get them to get information on a political rival, i.e. Joe Biden.- Longtime OMB Employee To Break Ranks, Testify In Impeachment Inquiry. The Washington Post (11/14, Werner, 14.2M) reports Mark Sandy, "a longtime career employee" at OMB "is expected to break ranks and testify Saturday in the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, potentially filling in important details on the hold-up of military aid to Ukraine." The Post says OMB has so far 'served as a bulwark for President Trump against the impeachment inquiry, since top officials have refused to testify." The Post adds that a "senior Administration official...discounted the importance of Sandy's testimony and criticized" House Speaker Pelosi and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff 'for calling him to testify: The official said, "With nothing to show after three years trying to impeach the President, Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Schiff have resorted to threatening dedicated civil servants with subpoenas and depositions without the ability to even have agency counsel present." WPost: Yovanovitch Testimony Injects Gender Into Impeachment Inquiry. The Washington Post (11/14, Viebeck, 14.2M) reports former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch "has crucial knowledge to impart when she testifies at Friday's impeachment hearing: Yovanovitch "enters the spotlight as the latest woman who has refused to acquiesce to Trump in the face of personal and gender- specific attacks." The story of her "removal as Ukraine 6 EFTA01653168 ambassador reflects some of the most complicated gender and political dynamics of Trump's presidency. Now the impeachment probe is magnifying those dynamics as the first woman to publicly testify prepares to confront Trump's fiercest congressional defenders, nearly all men, about a campaign by other male allies of the president to force her from her post." Ukraine FM: Sondland Never Linked Aid To Biden Investigations. The Washington Examiner (11/14, Pearce, 448K) reports Ukraine Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said Thursday that US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland never tied military aid to Ukraine to that country's government launching investigations into Burisma. Prystaiko "told reporters...that Sandland never asked him for investigations into Joe Biden's son's role with the energy company while Biden was vice president, according to Interfax-Ukraine." Prystaiko said, "Ambassador Sandland did not tell us, and did not tell me exactly, about the relation between the [military] assistance and the investigations. You should ask him. ... I do not recall any conversation with me as with foreign minister. It was not we, the Ukrainian officials [who were told this]. ... I have never seen a direct link between investigations and security assistance. Yes, investigations were mentioned, you know, in a Presidential conversation. But there was no dear connection between these events." Pelosi Claims Trump Committed "Bribery." The AP (11/14, Mascaro, Jalonick) reports House Democrats are "refining part of their impeachment case against the president to a simple allegation: Bribery." House Speaker Pelosi on Thursday "brushed aside the Latin phrase 'quid pro quo' that Democrats have been using." Pebsi said of Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which he asked the Ukrainian leader for a favor, "It's perfectly wrong. It's bribery." Mary Bruce said on ABC World News Tonight (11/14, story 4, 1:00, Muir, 6.71M) that Pelosi's use of the word "bribery" is 'a new and explicit allegation, and a major step for the Speaker! Nancy Cordes said on the CBS Evening News (11114, story 3, 1:10, O'Donnell, 4.08M) that this was the first time Pelosi used the term, which 'has been gaining steam in her party." Peter Alexander said on NBC Nightiv News (11/14, story 3, 1:10, Holt, 5.7M) that Pebsi called Wednesday's testimony from Ambassador William Taylor and State Department official George Kent "devastating! Politico (11/14, Caygle, 4.29M) quotes Pebsi as saying the testimony "corroborated evidence of bribery uncovered in the inquiry and that the President abused power and violated his oath by threatening to withhold military aide and a White House meeting in exchange for an investigation into his political rival." Politico says Pelosi nevertheless "cautioned" that she "isn't yet ready to say whether the House will vote to impeach Trump, an outcome many lawmakers think is all but certain to happen by the end of this year." The Hill (11/14, Lillis, 2.98M) says Pebsi "accused Trump of committing offenses more severe than those of President Nixon, who resigned in 1974 amid an impeachment proceeding." She said, °What President Trump has done on the record — in terms of ... [asking] a foreign power to help him in his own election and the obstruction of information about that, the cover up — makes what Nixon did look almost small." McCarthy Says Schiff Has "Lied Numerous Times." The Washington Post (11/14, Wagner, 14.2M) reports that House Minority Leader McCarthy on Thursday "accused" House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff "of lying when he said Wednesday that he does not know the identity of the whistieblower." According to the Post, when "pressed for evidence to back up his claim, McCarthy did not directly answer the question but instead repeatedly accused Schiff of lying." Speaking at his weekly news conference, McCarthy said, "I think Adam Schiff has lied numerous times." The Washington Examiner (11/14, Ferrechio, 448K) says McCarthy "said Schiff has a history of lying, and he pointed to Sthiff's public, unsubstantiated claims that there is evidence Trump colluded with Russians ahead of the 2016 election." WPost Analysis: GOP's Hearsay Impeachment Defense Is "Extremely Risky." A Washington Post (11/14, Bade, Debonis, Dawsey, 14.2M) analysis says the White House and Republicans "have seized on the lack of witnesses with firsthand knowledge of President Trump's actions on Ukraine to try to undermine the Democrats' case for impeachment." But the strategy "is extremely risky.... While it is true that the diplomats testified that they were told by others that Trump pressured Ukraine, a witness with firsthand information — possibly former national security adviser John Bolton — could still emerge." The Post adds that "if Republicans were so concerned about secondhand accounts, Democrats say, they should allow Trump associates who do have firsthand information — acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, for example — to testify." Mary Bruce said on ABC World News Tonight (11/14, story 5, 2:10, Muir, 6.71M), "Democrats say they want to talk to firsthand witnesses," including Mulvaney and Bolton, "but Trump is blocking them from testifying." Aides Move To Cast Trump As Presidential, Above Impeachment Fray. Politico (11/14, Cook, 4.29M) reports that while the President "typically mocks the idea of acting too presidential — equating it with being boring," that is "exactly what Trump appears to be attempting this week during the first public impeachment hearings." Aides 'have sought to cast Trump as presidential, busily focused on his policy work and above the fray of the impeachment proceedings." Politico cites a "senior Administration official" who said that the White House "has been making a concerted effort to schedule presidential work and meetings on Syria, opioid abuse and the trade talks with China in an effort" to highlight the contrast 7 EFTA01653169 "between who he is and what he is focusing on versus the partisan impeachment underway in the House." Senate Republicans Divided Over How To Proceed With Impeachment Articles. The New York Times (11114, Hulse, 18.61M) reports some Senate Republicans are "arguing for a speedy vote" on impeachment articles, which are expected to come from the House, while others see "an opportunity to drag out the historic proceedings and tie down some Democratic senators at a prime moment in their presidential campaigns." According to Republican senators, "the split over how to approach what is likely to be the first presidential impeachment trial ever to unfold in an election year has been on vivid display in their private weekly lunches in the Capitol." Trump Dismisses Impeachment "Hoax," Will Release Transcript Of First Zelensky Call. Politico (11/13, Forgey, Okun, 4.29M) reports that at the White House yesterday alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo'gan, President Trump "dismissed the House's impeachment proceedings as a 'hoax and said he was 'too busy to watch' — and then blasted Democrats' choice of questioners at a hearing he said he hadn't been briefed on." Trump is quoted as saying, "I'm sure I'll get a report.... I have not been briefed, no. There's nothing there. I see they're using lawyers that are television lawyers. They took some guys off television. I'm not surprised to see it because Schiff can't do his own questions." The Washington Times (11/13, Boyer, 492K) says the comment "was an apparent reference to Democratic counsel Dan Goldman, who is conducting much of the questioning." Fox News (11/13, Re, 27.59M) also reports on its website that Trump slammed "the hearsay- laden 'witch hunt" and said, "I'm going to be releasing, I think on Thursday, [another] transcript, which actually was the first of the two [phone calls with Ukraine's leader]." The AP (11/13, Colvin) casts Trump as "professing disinterest and disdain," but adds that "even as" he "tried to suggest that he was above the fray, the president repeatedly laid out his many grievances against the process playing out on the opposite end of Pennsylvania Avenue." Said Trump, "I hear it's a joke. I haven't watched for one minute.... This is a sham, and it shouldn't be allowed." The Washington Examiner (11113, Dilly, 448K) reports that the White House has "been keen to portray an image of a president intent on delivering his promises to the American people, continuing to work on overhauling the healthcare system, striking a trade deal with China, and mulling further tax cuts even as Democrats pursue impeachment." However, the Examiner adds, "as a heavy consumer of TV news, White House watchers are keeping a close eye on Trump's Twitter feed to see how he reacts to the hearings." The Washington Times (11113, Munoz, 492K) reports that in advance of Wednesday's hearing, "the Trump 'war room' kicked off the defense" of the President, "releasing a video targeting House Speaker Nancy Pebsi." The video "threads together clips of the California Democrat toeing the line on impeachment, warning that it would be divisive for the country, before showing the stark party-line vote that formalized the impeachment inquiry." Also Wednesday, Trump tweeted a campaign ad with the caption, "DEMOCRATS ARE PUTTING POLITICS BEFORE COUNTRY!" NBC Nightly News (11/13, story 3, 2:00, Holt, 6.34M) described the President "and his White House [as] downplaying what they describe as a witch hunt, decrying it as boring, and disputing" witness William Taylor's claims in his testimony. Trump was shown saying, "I know nothing about that. First time I've heard it.... I don't recall. No, not at all. Not even a little bit." The CBS Evening News (11/13, story 3, 2:10, O'Donnell, 4.47M) further pointed out Trump "denied ever talking to EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland about investigations in Ukraine." ABC World News Tonight (11/13, story 5, 1:25, Muir, 7.16M) showed Trump adding, "The one thing I've seen that Sondland said was that he did speak to me for a brief moment and I said, 'no quid pro quo under any circumstances,' and that's true. And the other, I've never heard this." The Hill (11/13, Chalfant, 2.98M) reports "Trump has aggressively pushed back against the inquiry, accusing Democrats of a partisan effort to damage his political prospects." He "has also taken aim at witnesses like Taylor, a member of his administration, accusing them of being 'Never Trumpers.'" ABC World News Tonight (11113, story 6, 0:40, Karl, 7.16M) reported "the bottom line from the White House perspective is that nothing changed" Wednesday, as "House Democrats are still on the road to impeaching the President, but not a single Republican has shown any indication of breaking ranks. That means" that 'without significant, dramatic changes, there's no way the Senate would vote to remove the President, and his fate ultimately will be determined by voters next November." However, Politico (11/13, Orr, Cook, Kumar, 4.29M) says while White House aides "dismissed the landmark event as a tedious affair," the "attempt to project calm within the West Wing was belied throughout the morning by a cascade of combative email blasts, tweets and statements that flowed from Trump's outside allies and his campaign war room." John Roberts said on Fox News Special Report (11/13, 1.53M), "The White House's rapid response organization was buzzing today, pushing back against every piece of evidence the Democrats extracted from their witnesses, criticizing Taylor for relying on hearsay and conjecture, some 17 times during his opening statement, insisting that" Kent "contradicted the Democrats' assertion that there was a quid pro quo." Politico (11113, Kumar, 4.29M) reports, however, that "frustrated allies are urging Trump to stop talking about himself and focus on his army of supporters." According to 8 EFTA01653170 Politico, Trump's advisers want the president to hammer Democrats for trying to subvert the will of the voters in 2016, depriving the country of Trump's strong economy and America First foreign policy.' A 'former Trump adviser who remains close to the White House" is quoted as saying, "What it does is go to the broader argument: Partisan Democrats are trying to undo an American election.... It's 'us against them' instead of 'him against the world.'" The CBS Evening News (11/13, story 3, 2:10, O'Donnell, 4.47M) reported 'two spokespeople...are slated to join the White House staff, including the former Attorney General of Florida, Pam Bondi, don't have start dates." CBS News "has learned they're in the process of completing paperwork, which takes time. And a senior White House official told us it won't make much difference because they say the current messaging plan is working." Also on the CBS Evening News (11/13, story 4, 0:40, O'Donnell, 4.47M), Major Garrett said "the President knows and his staff knows for this week and next week, this will be Washington's biggest story. What does that mean for...Trump? Awkwardly, he'll be the sub-headline in Washington's biggest headline story. Not accustomed to being there." The White House also "knows this complicates his entire domestic agenda, and talks to advert a government shutdown possibly next week. And, all these other things bleed away at the margins what political clout he has on Capitol Hill." Taylor Testifies Zelensky Told Him Right After Trump Call That It Was "Fine" And He Was "Happy" With Breitbart (11/13, Pollak, 673K) reports "Ambassador Bill Taylor testified Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told him July 26 that his July 25 call with President Donald Trump had been 'fine' and that he was 'happy' with ft." Taylor, "appearing alongside the State Department's George Kent, was answering questions from Republican counsel Steve Castor in the House Intelligence Committee on the first day of public hearings in the 'impeachment inquiry.- Asked whether he was "with...Zelensky the very next day" after the call, Taylor said he was. Pressed on whether "Zelensky raise any concerns about his views of the call," Taylor replied, "He said — so, right, so — so I, Ambassador [Kurt] Volker, Ambassador [Gordon] Sondland, were in his office, and we asked him, I think, how the call [went]. He said, 'The call was fine. I was happy with the call." Eric Trump: No One Outside Beltway "Gives A Damn" About Hearings. Eric Trump said on Fox News' The Story (11/13), 'There is not a single person outside the Washington Beltway that gives a damn about what happened today. It's boring.... No one was watching it. No one cares. This is going to change one person's mind. They flopped horribly.' Rove: Impeachment Effort Could Help Trump Win Reelection. In his Wall Street Journal (11/13, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) column, Karl Rove criticizes Democrats' handling of the impeachment inquiry and argues the probe could actually help the President's reelection effort. Lawmakers Question OMB's Sandy, Release Transcripts From Another Two Closed-Door Impeachment Hearings. On the NBC Nightly News (11/16, story 2, 2:28, Diaz-Balart, 5.31M), which was the sole network newscast to broadcast last night, Jose Diaz-Balart said Congress Vrapp[ed] up an historic week in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump with a rare Saturday session" that featured the 'career budget official" Mark Sandy, the deputy associate director for national security programs at the White House Office of Management and Budget, who "broke ranks with the President to tell his side of the story: Garrett Hake added that in "another crack in the White House impeachment fire wall." The Washington Post (11/15, Demirjian, Bade, Itkowit, Werner, 14.2M) reports Sandy lestified...that the White House decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine in mid-July was highly irregular and that senior political appointees in the Office of Ma