Nunes shreds testimony of Democrats' star witness

At the opening public hearing Wednesday in the House Democrats' impeachment investigation of President Trump, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., challenged the testimony of Democratic star witness Ambassador William Taylor, pointing out the diplomat acknowledged in his deposition that he had no knowledge of the considerable evidence supporting Trump's concern about Ukraine's connection to interference in the 2016 election and alleged corruption concerning Hunter Biden and former Vice President Joe Biden.

"What's strange is that some of the witnesses in these hearings and previous depositions who express alarm about these inquiries were remarkably uninformed about these indications of election meddling and why the president may have been concerned about it," said Nunes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Nunes' line of questioning was significant, because it provided context to Taylor's concern that Trump's interest in corruption in Ukraine was only for personal political gain.

Responding to a question from the Democrats' counsel, Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, said: "Our holding up of security assistance that would go to a country that is fighting aggression from Russia for no good policy reason, no substantive reason, for [no] national security reason, is wrong."

But the Republican leader pointed out that Ukraine had a significant role in the origins of the Obama administration's discredited Trump-Russia collusion probe, which is now the subject of a Justice Department criminal investigation.

Among Trump's concerns, previously unknown to Taylor, Nunes said, were:

Alexandra Chalupa, a staffer for the Democratic National Committee, admitted to Politico that she worked with officials at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington to "dig up dirt" on the Trump campaign that she passed on to the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
The Politico story quotes Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrey Artemenko saying, regarding the activity of the Ukrainian Embassy, "It was clear they were supporting Hillary Clinton's candidacy."
Then-Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Cherith Norman Chalet wrote an op-ed in The Hill during the 2016 election campaign criticizing Trump.
Sergey Lushenko, then a Ukrainian parliamentarian, admitted part of his motivation for spreading the disputed "black ledger" purporting corruption by onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was to undermine Trump's candidacy.
Fusion GPS contractor Nellie Ohr, the wife of senior Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, testified to Congress that Lushenko was a source for Fusion GPS's operation to dig up dirt on the Trump campaign, including the compilation of the unverified, anti-Trump Steele dossier on behalf of the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Ukrainian internal affairs minister Arsen Avakov mocked and disparaged Trump on Facebook and Twitter.

Nunes then asked: "Ambassador Taylor, in your testimony to this committee, you said you were never briefed on these reports and statements, that you did not do due diligence before taking your post to discover what the president's and Mayor Giuliani's concerns may have been and that you did not discuss them with Ambassador Yovanovich. Is that still correct?"

Taylor replied, "Yes, sir."

Taylor also acknowledged he said it was "disappointing" to hear of the Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 election.

During the hearing, other Republican committee members pointed out that Taylor's testimony concerning the president's actions, including the famous July 25 phone call, was not first-hand.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio asked Taylor whether or not he listen in on President Trump's call and with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I did not," Taylor replied.

Jordan: "You've never talked with Chief of Staff (Mick) Mulvaney?"

Taylor: "I never did."

Jordan: "You've never met the president?"

Taylor: "That's correct."

Jordan: "And you're their star witness."