CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin argued it was problematic that neither of the witnesses who testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee had direct contact with President Trump.
William Taylor, the top diplomat to Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs testified in front of the Committee on Wednesday.
In one of the more notable moment of Taylor’s testimony, he discussed a previously unknown phone call between Trump and Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, which took place a day after Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Sondland said that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward with an investigation of the Bidens. One of Taylor’s staffers were present for that phone call.
During CNN’s post-testimony coverage, Toobin called that conversation an “important new development.”
“[That call is] important, because the one criticism of these two witnesses, which I think is very much legitimate, it’s not really a criticism, it’s just a factual statement is that neither of them had direct contact with the president. Ever, and that’s a problem if you’re going to impeach the president,” he added.
During the hearing, Taylor stated, “Following the call with President Trump, the member of my staff asked Ambassador Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine. Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for.”
