Democrats made no mention of evidence supporting President Trump when they released "key excerpts" of the closed-door testimony of senior National Security Council official Tim Morrison in their impeachment inquiry.
Morrison, who was listening in on Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, told House Intelligence Committee members in his deposition Oct. 31 that he was never concerned that Trump discussed anything illegal.
But when Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and his staff released the transcript on Saturday, they issued a summary spotlighting hearsay testimony by Morrison while ignoring the official's first-hand account of the phone call at the center of the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, noted Breitbart News editor Joel Pollack.
Pollack pointed out that the committee had withheld the transcript since Oct. 31, releasing it only after public hearings began last week.
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Morrison's statement -- "I was not concerned that anything illegal was discussed" -- does not appear in the Democrats' "key excerpts" document.
Democrats, meanwhile, spotlighted Morrison saying he was afraid that the Trump-Zelensky conversation would leak. But they left out Morrison explaining that it was not because he thought the president had done anything wrong, but because it would be exploited in "Washington's polarized environment."
The primary excerpt highlighted by Democrats was Morrison confirming that he heard U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland claim that Sondland privately told a Ukrainian official aid would be released if the Ukrainian prosecutor general would publicly announce an investigation into the firm paying Hunter Biden more than $80,000 a month, Burisma.
But Pollack argues that is merely hearsay evidence, and he recalled that immediately after Morrison's deposition Oct. 31, Republicans who were in the closed-door session said the testimony was favorable to President Trump. House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., described Democrats in the room during the closed-door hearing as "sucking lemons."
Pollack noted Republicans would have made good use of of the transcript if it had been made available on Oct. 31.
Now, with the public hearings already under way, Democrats are controlling the media narrative regarding Morrison's testimony.
Among the media headlines in a Google search Sunday:
CNN: “Ex-NSC official corroborates Sondland said he was directed by Trump on Ukraine"
NPR: “NSC Official Faults Sondland’s Role In ‘Shadow’ Ukraine Policy“
USA Today: “Morrison said he was ‘not comfortable’ with Ukraine President Zelensky being involved in US politics: the latest"
Daily Beast: “National Security Official Tim Morrison Feared Leaks of
Trump’s Call to Ukraine President Would Be Damaging“
Politico: “Sondland said he was acting on Trump’s orders, aide told investigators"
Here is the passage in which Morrison is asked by Schiff if he was concerned about Trump asking Zelensky to "look into" investigating the Bidens:
THE CHAIRMAN: Okay. I just wanted to follow up a bit on this.
One of the concerns, and there may be an overlap between the first two concerns you mentioned about the call, and if the call became public. First, you said you were concerned how it would play out in Washington’s polarized environment and, second, how a leak would affect bipartisan support for our Ukrainian partners.
Were those concerns related to the fact that the President asked his Ukrainian counterpart to look into on investigate the Bidens?
MR. MORRISON: No, not specifically.
THE CHAIRMAN: So you didn’t think that the President of the United States asking his counterpart to conduct an investigation into a potential opponent in the 2020 election might influence bipartisan support in Congress?
MR. MORRISON: No.
THE CHAIRMAN: And you weren’t concerned that the President bringing up one of his political opponents in the Presidential election and asking a favor with respect to the DNC server or 2016 theory, you weren’t concerned that those things would cause people to believe that the President was asking his counterpart to conduct an investigation that might influence his reelection campaign?
MR. MORRISON: No.
THE CHAIRMAN: That never occurred to you?
MR. MORRISON: No.
THE CHAIRMAN: Did you recognize during the — as you listened to the call that if Ukraine were to conduct these investigations, that it would inure to the President’s political interests?
MR. MORRISON: No.
Other parts of testimony missing in the Democrats' "key excerpts" included Morrison's statement that there was other foreign aid, aside from aide to Ukraine, that was under review.
He also confirmed that the delayed aid did not include the essential Javelin anti-tank missiles, which were being delivered in a separate process.