Fiona Hill showed Republicans what they really stood for today — and it wasn't pretty

Trump's defenders have been helping spread disinformation sourced directly from the Russian government. Today was the first time they were called out for it by an impeachment witness

Dr Fiona Hill just gave the Republican Party a reality check. Hill looked Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee in their faces and essentially said that they are pushing a conspiracy theory and doing Russia’s bidding. Her performance today was so formidable that by the end of the impeachment hearing, House Republicans were actively avoiding asking her any questions.

Fiona Hill, Trump's former Russia expert at the National Security Council, testified that Russia's interference in American democracy is ongoing and also highlighted details of a key meeting in President Trump's alleged extortion plot. David Holmes, a State Department diplomat in Kyiv, elaborated on the details — and both witnesses proved that Ambassador John Bolton would be a key witness as well.

But let's start with Dr Fiona Hill's powerful dismantling of President Trump and the Republican Party's false impeachment defense.

For weeks, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and his crew of Trumpist sycophants have regurgitated the conspiracy theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election against then-candidate Trump. Without any credible defense of President Trump's plot to extort the Ukrainian government into investigating his political rivals, Trump's defenders have instead committed themselves to disinformation sourced directly from the Russian government. Today was the first time they were forcefully called out by an impeachment witness.

In her opening statement, Fiona Hill asserted that Russia's goal is to weaken American democracy. Hill went on to state that "the impact of the successful 2016 Russian campaign remains evident today”.

“Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country — and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves,” she continued.

Hill referred to this theory as "harmful" and made a powerful request of Republicans: "I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests.”

Hill also provided some of the most vivid details about a July 10 meeting that is key to House investigators' bribery case. She claimed that Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland said he had a deal with Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney that if the Ukrainians opened up the investigations into Burisma and the 2016 election, they'd get the White House meeting. Hill added that it was clear Burisma was code for the Bidens because of what Rudy Giuliani had been saying publicly.

Hill also testified that Sondland told her he was put in charge of Ukraine policy by President Trump. She delivered a memorable, quietly damning quote about how US diplomacy was being run under President Trump during this discussion: "[Sondland] was being involved in a domestic political errand. And we were being involved in national security, foreign policy.”

In no uncertain terms, Hill also said she was not concerned about Vindman’s judgment or expertise, contesting the narrative Republicans were trying to push.

David Holmes used part of the beginning of his opening statement to detail the beginnings of the smear campaign against Marie Yovanovitch, the former Ukraine ambassador for whom he was an adviser. Holmes also testified about the July 26 phone call he overheard between Sondland and President Trump where Trump asked about the status of his request for investigations.

Holmes went on to make a claim about an August 27 meeting in Ukraine with President Zelensky, saying, "Ambassador Bolton further indicated that the hold on security assistance would not be lifted prior to the Warsaw meeting, where it would hang on whether President Zelensky was able to 'favorably impress' President Trump.” We all know that what would impress Trump would be to launch those investigations. It’s difficult, after hearing such a statement, to overestimate how important it is for America to hear from John Bolton now.

Holmes testified that Zelensky had committed to giving a CNN interview in which he would announce the investigations. The aid was lifted on September 11 after the House launched an investigation and requested the whistleblower complaint. Holmes accurately notes that concerns for Ukraine didn’t end with the lifting of the military aid. Ukraine still needs our support, especially as Zelensky plans a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. Ukraine also still hasn't gotten a White House meeting.

This, again, undermines the GOP narrative that the extortion plot wasn’t successful. The only reason why the investigations weren't announced is because President Trump got caught and released the aid.

Throughout these public hearings, the Republican Party's defense of President Trump has completely collapsed. Not a single witness testified that there is any evidence to back the GOP claims of Biden wrongdoing and they've also debunked the Ukraine meddling conspiracy theory.

Today, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) asked Democrats: "Do you guys want to be the laughingstock of history to impeach a president for not taking a meeting?"

To that, I ask Rep. Turner: Do you want to really want to be written up in the history books as one of the few people who stood by President Trump after a hearing like that?