Committees Release Holmes and Hale Transcripts as Part of Impeachment Inquiry

Statement

Today, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, the Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Eliot L. Engel, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Acting Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released the transcripts from joint depositions of Foreign Service Officer David Holmes and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.

The Chairs issued the following statement announcing today's release:

"Today, the Committees released the transcripts of depositions with Mr. David Holmes and Mr. David Hale, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

"Mr. Holmes, a nonpartisan career Foreign Service officer, testified that he was present when Ambassador Gordon Sondland spoke directly with President Trump on July 26--the day after President Trump's call with Ukrainian President Zelensky.

"Mr. Holmes overheard President Trump asking Ambassador Sondland whether President Zelensky committed to "do the investigation' into the Bidens and the 2016 election, which Trump pressed Zelensky for in his call the previous day. Sondland responded to President Trump stating, "Oh yeah, he's going to do it' and added that President Zelensky will "do anything you ask him to.' Following the conversation between President Trump and Ambassador Sondland, Mr. Holmes asked Sondland whether it was true that President Trump "did not give a [expletive] about Ukraine,' to which Sondland agreed that Trump did not, and that he only cared about the "big stuff' like "this Biden investigation that Giuliani is pushing.'

"Mr. Holmes testified that he felt obligated to come forward to rebut the unfounded claim by the President and his allies that "certain senior officials may have been acting without the President's knowledge in their dealings with Ukraine.'

"We look forward to their public testimony."

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