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   From: fuktrump@gmail.com   
      
   State Department Official Describes Giuliani's 'Campaign Of Lies' In   
   Ukraine   
      
   (CNN)A State Department official told lawmakers that Rudy Giuliani's   
   attacks were part of a "campaign of lies" against the former Ukraine   
   ambassador, according to a transcript released Thursday.   
      
   Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent testified that President   
   Donald Trump's personal lawyer's actions contributed to his decision not   
   to speak out internally about Giuliani in the run up to the July phone   
   call between Trump and the Ukrainian President. Kent, who oversees US   
   policy on Ukraine, told lawmakers that he did not speak to anyone at State   
   to express his concerns about Giuliani because he had previously been told   
   to "keep my head down" after Giuliani attacked him by name.   
   "I did not, in part because after Giuliani attacked me, as well as (then-   
   US ambassador to Ukraine Marie) Yovanovitch and the entire embassy, in his   
   late May interview, I was told to keep my head down and lower my profile   
   in Ukraine," Kent testified in October.   
   Kent's testimony provides new insight into how then-US special envoy to   
   Ukraine Kurt Volker and US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon   
   Sondland worked with Giuliani on Ukraine, as well as the reactions inside   
   the State Department to Giuliani's efforts that Kent and others say ran   
   counter to US foreign policy. The three coordinated a draft statement for   
   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations into the   
   2016 election and Burisma, the company that hired former Vice President   
   Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden.   
   Kent's testimony also sheds new light on instances where Volker appeared   
   to press the Ukrainians to announce investigations if they wanted to   
   secure a White House meeting, as well as Trump's desire for Zelensky to   
   "say investigations, Biden, Clinton" in announcing an investigation. Kent   
   testified that he believed there was a quid pro quo linking a meeting to   
   the investigations -- bolstering the views of other key witnesses --   
   though he said that he didn't see US military aid to Ukraine as part of   
   the equation.   
   Kent is one of three witnesses who will testify publicly next week when   
   the House impeachment investigation into Trump and Ukraine shifts into the   
   public phase. The deposition transcripts of Taylor, who will be testifying   
   along with Kent on Wednesday, and Yovanovitch, who will appear publicly   
   Friday, were released by House Democrats earlier this week.   
   Pompeo sets up straw man to contradict ex-adviser's impeachment   
   testimony for second time   
   Pompeo sets up straw man to contradict ex-adviser's impeachment testimony   
   for second time   
   In his deposition, Kent said that Volker told him in July that he was   
   engaging with the President's lawyer because of Giuliani's "influence on   
   the President in terms of the way the President thought of Ukraine."   
   Kent said he asked Volker why he would be reaching out to Giuliani, given   
   Giuliani's public efforts to investigate former Biden and his attacks on   
   Yovanovitch.   
   "And Kurt's reaction, or response to me at that was, well, if there's   
   nothing there, what does it matter? And if there's something there, it   
   should be investigated," Kent said. "My response to him was asking another   
   country to investigate a prosecution for political reasons undermines our   
   advocacy of the rule of law."   
   Volker told Kent that he felt it was worthwhile engaging with Giuliani   
   because of his influence on the President's thinking about Ukraine.   
   "What I understood was Kurt was thinking tactically and I was concerned   
   strategically," Kent said.   
   Kent said that he was warned by former White House aide Fiona Hill about   
   Sondland's apparent "lies about conversations that occur in the Oval   
   Office," and he said Sondland's "freelancing" on Ukraine caused concern   
   inside the State Department.   
   "They were aware of the challenge of dealing with Ambassador Sondland who   
   has a, I would say, track record of freelancing, would be one way of   
   putting it, but working on issues other than the reason why he was sent to   
   Brussels to work our relationship with the European Union," Kent   
   testified.   
   'Investigations, Biden and Clinton'   
   Kent's testimony provided Democrats with corroboration of a key part of   
   their impeachment case against the President: that Trump wanted Zelensky   
   to announce an investigation that would help the President politically.   
   Taylor's testimony that Trump had told Sondland he wanted Zelensky to "go   
   to a microphone" matched up with Kent's testimony about what Taylor had   
   described to Kent in September.   
   "POTUS wanted nothing less than President to go to (a) microphone and say   
   investigations, Biden, Clinton," Kent said, later adding that Clinton was   
   shorthand for the 2016 election.   
   Kent, however, did not have as much insight into whether the investigation   
   was tied to aid, as Taylor testified and Sondland revised his testimony to   
   link together.   
   "That was not clear to me," Kent said. "I wasn't part of this exchange."   
   While Kent said he did not associate US security aid with the Ukraine   
   investigations into Trump's political rivals, he testified that he did   
   think the investigations were linked to a one-on-one meeting between Trump   
   and Zelensky, though he said that was his "personal opinion" of the   
   matter.   
   Source: Bill Taylor will 'fulfill his duty' if asked to testify in   
   impeachment probe   
   Source: Bill Taylor will 'fulfill his duty' if asked to testify in   
   impeachment probe   
   But he provided new details about conversations he witnessed between   
   Volker and Ukrainian officials that shaped his views.   
   At an event called the Ukraine Reform Conference, Kent said Volker told   
   him he would need to meet privately with Zelensky and would pull him   
   aside.   
   "And he explained to me that the purpose of that private conversation was   
   to underscore the importance of the messaging that (Zelensky) needed to   
   provide to President Trump about his willingness to be cooperative," Kent   
   said, though he did not know the details.   
   Later, Kent testified about an "awkward conversation" between Volker and   
   Zelensky aide Andriy Yermak, relayed to him by Taylor, when Volker told   
   Yermak he thought it would be inappropriate for the Zelensky   
   administration to investigate former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.   
   "And then Andriy Yermak said: What? You mean the type of investigations   
   you're pushing for us to do on Biden and Clinton?" Kent told lawmakers.   
   Later, Kent said, when the conversation turned to the potential for   
   Zelensky and Trump to meet, Volker said it was "important that President   
   Zelensky give the message that we discussed before," Kent said, which he   
   understood to be the public announcement of an investigation. But Taylor   
   told Yermak "don't do that," according to Kent.   
   Giuliani's work in Ukraine dated back months   
   Kent testified privately before House lawmakers on October 15, and he   
      
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