CAFE Insider

In this bonus clip from Stay Tuned, Carl Bernstein discusses who is actually advocating for Ukraine and Fox News.

Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.

In this episode of the CAFE Insider podcast, “Can I Get A Witness?,” co-hosts Preet Bharara and Anne Milgram break down the latest developments:

-- The House Intelligence Committee completed its first set of public hearings last week featuring startling testimony from diplomats Bill Taylor, George Kent, and Marie Yovanovitch.

-- In a closed-door deposition on Friday, State Department aide David Holmes testified to a troubling call he overheard between EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland and President Trump.

-- The public will hear from eight more witnesses this week, including Ambassador Sondland who has first-hand knowledge of key events under investigation.

We hope you’re enjoying CAFE Insider. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. 

REFLECTIONS ON LAST WEEK’S PUBLIC HEARINGS

• Radio host Rush Limbaugh called Bill Taylor and George Kent “self-important nerds,” 11/13/19
• Fox News host Jeanine Pirro criticized George Kent’s sartorial choices, 11/17/19
• “AP Explains: What’s wrong with hearsay evidence in Congress?,” AP, 11/15/19
• “Why Trump’s “state of mind” will be key in impeachment,” Quartz, 11/2/19

THE QUESTIONERS’ STRATEGIES

• “Meet the two seasoned staff prosecutors now in impeachment spotlight,” NBC News, 11/15/19
• “GOP woman gets outsized role at impeachment hearing,” AP, 11/16/19
• “Elise Stefanik’s Questioning During Impeachment Hearings Draws GOP Cheers,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/16/19
• House resolution (H.Res.660) outlining procedures for the impeachment inquiry into the president, 10/31/19

PUBLIC TESTIMONY OF GEORGE KENT & BILL TAYLOR

• Transcript of Kent’s and Taylor’s public hearing before the House Intelligence Committee on November 13
• “5 takeaways from Bill Taylor’s and George Kent’s impeachment testimony,” The Washington Post, 11/13/19

CLOSED-DOOR TESTIMONY OF DAVID HOLMES

• Opening statement of David Holmes during his closed-door testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on November 15
• “A Friday night surprise: David Holmes throws a wrench in Trump’s impeachment defense,” The Washington Post, 11/16/19
• “Russian spies likely intercepted ambassador’s cell phone call with Trump,” CNN, 11/14/19
• Full transcript of October 17 testimony of Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the E.U., 11/6/19
• Sondland’s addendum to his October 17 testimony, 11/4/19

PUBLIC TESTIMONY OF MARIE YOVANOVITCH

• Memorandum of July 25 call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 9/24/19
• Transcript of Yovanovitch’s public hearing before the House Intelligence Committee on November 15
• 18 USC § 1512: Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant
• Trump’s tweet criticizing Yovanovitch while she testified, 11/15/19
• “Trump Attack on Envoy During Testimony Raises Charges of Witness Intimidation,” The New York Times, 11/15/19
• Trump’s tweet calling Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, a “Never Trumper,” 11/17/19
• Stay Tuned with Preet: Impeachment Hearing & The Story of America (with Jill Lepore), 11/14/19  

WEEK 2 OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

• “Impeachment Public Hearings Week 2 — Who Is Testifying And What Happens Next,” NPR, 11/18/19
• House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s tweet announcing that eight more witnesses will publicly testify, 11/12/19
• “Senior national security official ties key official more closely to Trump on Ukraine in impeachment inquiry,” The Washington Post, 11/16/19

ROGER STONE FOUND GUILTY

• Indictment of Roger Stone, 1/24/19
• “From Organization 1 to Person 2: Who’s Who in the Roger Stone Indictment,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/25/19
• “Roger Stone guilty on all counts of lying to Congress, witness tampering,” The Washington Post, 11/15/19

In this bonus clip from Stay Tuned, Jill Lepore discusses Harvard Law Professor and former Faculty Dean Ronald Sullivan Jr., what we can learn today from famed lawyer Clarence Darrow, and her personal essay, "The Lingering of Loss."

Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.

In this episode of the CAFE Insider podcast, “Impeachment: The Opening Act,” co-hosts Preet Bharara and Anne Milgram break down the latest developments:

-- Senior diplomats Bill Taylor and George Kent are set to testify on Wednesday and we’ll hear from former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch on Friday.

-- Issues of executive privilege and immunity stand in the way of testimony from key witnesses, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.

-- News reports indicate an evolving GOP defense strategy that includes distancing the President from witnesses who allege a quid pro quo with Ukraine.

We hope you’re enjoying CAFE Insider. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. 

REFERENCES AND SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

VETERAN’S DAY

• “Veterans Day: Trump Returns to N.Y. for Parade, to Cheers and Boos,” The New York Times, 11/11/19

ANNE’S BUTT TWEET 

• "Rudy Giuliani butt-dials NBC reporter, heard discussing need for cash and trashing Bidens,” NBC News, 10/25/19
• “Rep. Weiner says lewd Twitter photo was sent by hacker; recipient tells of ‘outlandish’ backlash,” The Washington Post, 5/29/11

EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE & IMMUNITY LAWSUIT

• Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Acting National Security Advisor Charles Kupperman’s complaint seeking declaratory judgment as to whether he is lawfully obliged to comply with House subpoena, DC District Court, 10/25/19
• The House of Representatives’ notice of mootness and motion to vacate briefing schedule (withdrawing Charles Kupperman’s subpoena), DC District Court, 11/6/19
• “Charles Kupperman subpoena withdrawn by House as it asks judge to dismiss lawsuit over his testimony,” The Washington Post, 11/6/19
• “Mulvaney asks to join lawsuit over conflicting demands for impeachment testimony,” The Washington Post, 11/9/19
• “Bolton Said to Know of ‘Many Relevant Meetings’ on Ukraine, but Will Not Testify,” The New York Times, 11/8/19
• Definition of “forum shopping,” Legal Information Institute
• “Intel Chairman Adam Schiff: Trump aides’ refusal to testify adds to potential impeachment evidence,” CNBC, 11/4/19

BOOKS BY FMR TRUMP ADMIN. OFFICIALS

• “AP sources: Former Trump adviser John Bolton has a book deal,” The Associated Press, 11/10/19
• “Nikki Haley claims top aides tried to recruit her to ‘save the country’ by undermining Trump,” The Washington Post, 11/10/19

IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

• “Public impeachment hearings scheduled for this week: Here's what you need to know,” CNN, 11/11/19
• “We Read All 2,677 Pages of Ukraine Testimony So You Don't Have To,” Lawfare, 11/11/19
• Testimony from William “Bill” Taylor, Chargé D'affaires for the U.S. State Department in Ukraine (transcript and key excerpts), 10/22/19
• Testimony from George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary, European and Eurasian Bureau at the U.S. Department of State (transcript and key excerpts), 10/15/19
• Testimony from Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (transcript and key excerpts), 10/11/19
• “Pompeo Faces Political Peril and Diplomats’ Revolt in Impeachment Inquiry,” The New York Times, 11/4/19
• “Power Up: Republicans’ witness wish list designed to put maximum pressure on Democrats,” The Washington Post, 11/11/19

QUID PRO QUO

• “High crimes and misdemeanors” is a phrase from Section 4 of Article II of the U.S. Constitution
• Definition of “bribery,” Legal Information Institute
• “What Is a Quid Pro Quo?,” The New York Times, 10/18/19

OFFENSES & DEFENSES

• “Trump, Ukraine And The Path To The Impeachment Inquiry: A Timeline,” NPR, 10/12/19
• Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s addendum to his October 17 testimony, 11/4/19
• “Trump involved Pence in efforts to pressure Ukraine’s leader, though officials say vice president was unaware of allegations in whistleblower complaint,” The Washington Post, 10/2/19
• “Trump Doesn’t Need to Commit a Crime to Be Kicked Out of Office,” The New York Times (Neal K. Katyal Op-Ed), 9/25/19
• “Ukraine’s Zelensky Bowed to Trump’s Demands, Until Luck Spared Him,” The New York Times, 11/7/19
• “Nikki Haley says she doesn't think Trump will be removed from office,” CBS News, 11/8/19
• David Frum’s tweet about failed crimes warranting harsh punishment, 11/2/19
• Trump’s tweet saying that “nothing was done wrong” on “perfect” call, 11/10/19

BILL BARR’S INVESTIGATIONS

• “Justice Dept. trying to finish report on Russia probe before Thanksgiving,” The Washington Post, 11/5/19
• “It’s too late to save yourself now, Bill Barr,” The Washington Post (Dana Milbank Op-Ed), 11/7/19