Trump impeachment: Security establishment said US military aid to Ukraine was vital, testifies top defence official
Testimony is latest witness deposition to be made public
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Your support makes all the difference.America’s security establishment believed US military aid to Ukraine was vital and should not be jeopardised, a senior defence official told impeachment investigators probing Donald Trump.
Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defence, told members of Congress that her department was “concerned” with delaying aid to Ukraine.
“DoD was concerned about the obligation of funds. Policy, my team, we were also concerned about any signal that we would send to Ukraine about a wavering in our commitment,” she said.
She added: “And that’s another reason why, I mean, we did not want for this to be a big public discussion, you know, if we were about to get it turned back on again because we didn’t want to signal any lack of support.”
Ms Cooper told investigators that soon after a meeting of national security officials at the White House, she was visited by Kurt Volker, the US special envoy to Ukraine, who explained there was a “statement” that the Ukraine government could make to get the security money flowing.
Ms Cooper is the latest official whose private testimony has now been made public, as Democrats prepare for open testimony from three witnesses this week, starting on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump was subjected to chants of “lock him up” as he addressed New York City’s Veterans Day parade after hitting out at House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, the top Democrat spearheading the impeachment inquiry, accusing him of releasing “doctored transcripts” of witness depositions.
A lawyer for Lev Parnas, an associate of Mr Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, has meanwhile told The New York Times his client was tasked with offering Ukraine US military aid in exchange for a corruption investigation into 2020 candidate Joe Biden and his son.
As Mr Giuliani denies the claim, the president has called on his fellow Republicans not to fall into the “fools trap” of questioning his 25 July call with the country’s new president, Volodymyr Zelenksy.
Please look below to see how the day’s drama played out
Stormy Daniels joins rapper YG on stage to chant 'F*** Donald Trump' at Dodger Stadium
In other strange news from Trumplandia, porn star Stormy Daniels appeared on stage with rapper YG at Camp Gnaw Flog Carnival at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium on Sunday to a hero's reception.
“My name is Stormy f***ing Daniels, and I am the reason Donald Trump is f***ed,” she told the crowd. Asked whether she had really slept with the president - the subject of hush money allegations that saw Trump's estranged lawyer Michael Cohen imprisoned - Daniels answered: "No, I just lay there".
She then sang on YG's track "FDT", a collaboration with Nipsey Hussle (I am reliably informed).
Here's Jacob Stolworthy's report.
Baby Trump blimp stabbed and deflated in Alabama
"Hello, 911? I'd like to report a murder..."
Trump was in Tuscaloosa to watch a college football game over the weekend. He was followed there by one of his most dogged antagonists, the Baby Trump blimp, who met a sad end when he was knifed by an angry MAGAlyte, unfuriated by the show of disrespect the giant benappied toddler represented.
One Hoyt Deau Hutchinson was subsequently arrested and charged with criminal mischief by the local police department.
Zoe Tidman has more.
Amy Klobuchar attacks 2020 rival Pete Buttigieg over inexperience
Things are heating up in the race to be the 2020 Democratic nominee to take on Trump and yesterday Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar took the fight to Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, telling the aforementioned Tapper on CNN her fellow women candidates would not have got the same media attention Buttigieg has had if they were as poltically inexperienced as he is. Ouch.
Library using drones to expose Trump book-hider
Coeur d’Alene library in northern Idaho is using drone technology in its bid to solve the mystery of which Republican member of the instituion is hiding its books critical of Trump.
“I am going to continue hiding these books in the most obscure places I can find to keep this propaganda out of the hands of young minds,” the culprit wrote in a note left for librarian Betty Ammon in the facility’s comment box.
“Your liberal angst gives me great pleasure.”
Why are Republicans so obsessed with the whistleblower?
For Indy Premium, Chris Stevenson has this timely analysis of the GOP's latest strategy with the public phase of the impeachment inquiry set to begin.
Ex-White House ethics lawyer suggets Michael Bloomberg buy Fox News
Richard W Painter, a former top government ethics counsel under George W Bush, says the president would have “a massive fit” if the conservative news channel were to be bought from Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation.
Here's Conrad Duncan's report.
Trump's ex-national security adviser John Bolton signs book deal
The president's hawkish former aide, with whom he disagreed fundamentally on the need for "regime change" wars overseas, is due to give his own side of the story after signing a $2m (£1.6m) book deal with Simon & Schuster, the same publisher behind ex-FBI director James Comey's memoir and A Warning, the damning exposé of life within Trump's West Wing out this week from an anonymous White House insider.
Trump's spiritual adviser Paula White: charlatan or saviour?
That's the question Andrew Buncombe poses of the super-rich megachurch founder and "prosperity gospel" advocate who allegedly led this president to god - and occasionally speaks in tongues.
President accuses Adam Schiff of releasing 'doctored transcripts' from impeachment hearings
President Trump was up early this morning to tweet about Veteran's Day and vaping before launching into such pet themes as his influence on last week's failed bid to boost the odious Matt Bevin in the Kentucky gubernatorial race and the "scam" impeachment inquiry.
He is now accusing Adam Schiff of released "doctored transcripts", which is outrageous - not to say libellous.
Republican congressman Pete King stepping down
Long-serving New York GOP member Pete King has announced his retirement, telling his followers on Facebook he will not seek rel-election in 2020.
King, 75, serves on the House Homeland Security and Financial Services committees. He was chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in 2005/06 and again in 2011/12.
Top Big Apple Democrat Chuck Schumer has issued this generous tribute as the Republican exodus continues, leaving party leaders with a growing headache going into an election year.
This is the extent of that exodus for context.
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