On Friday, November 15, Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald J. Trump. This is her full opening statement.

This will be a busy week of testimony for the House Intelligence Committee.

Tuesday morning:

Jennifer Williams, Special Advisor for Europe and Russia, Office of the Vice President

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, Director for European Affairs, National Security Council

Tuesday afternoon:

Ambassador Kurt Volker, Former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine

Timothy Morrison, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe and Russia, National Security Council

Wednesday morning:

Ambassador Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union

Wednesday afternoon:

Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs, Department of Defense

David Hale, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Department of State

Thursday:

Dr. Fiona Hill, Former Senior Director for Europe and Russia, National Security Council

On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held a full committee open hearing for the impeachment inquiry with Ambassador William B. Taylor and Mr. George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, both appearing as witnesses. 

George Kent Testimony (1:21) Bill Taylor Testimony (18:11) Credits (58:50)

The full testimony and questioning is available on YouTube from the House Intelligence Committee.

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On October 31, 2019, the House of Representatives voted 232-196 on a resolution that provides the rules of the impeachment investigation. What is an impeachment investigation and why might it important to have a recorded vote? Excerpts from recent report by the Congressional Research Service titled Congressional Access to Information in an Impeachment Investigation provides some helpful details and insight on the process we're starting to see unfold in the House of Representatives.

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In the previous three episodes, this show has offered a reading of the White House memo that documented the call between President Trump and the President of Ukraine, the whistleblower's complaint, and texts released by Congress surrounding the issue of withholding military assistance from Ukraine.

On October 8, Pat Cipollone, Counsel to the President, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the three committee chairmen who provided the letter along with the release of text messages from the previous episode.

This White House letter addresses a statement from Representative Adam Schiff's opening statement from the House Intelligence Committee hearing with Director Joseph Maguire, Director of National Intelligence. The relevant portion is available in this episode and a link to the full nine-minute opening statement is available via C-SPAN.

• Intel Chair Adam Schiff's Sept. 26, 2019, Statement on Whistleblower Complaint (1:14)
• October 8, 2019, letter from Pat Cipollone, Counsel to the President (2:49)
• I. Your "Inquiry" Is Constitutionally Invalid and Violates Basic Due Process Rights and the Separation of Powers (6:12)
• II. The Invalid "Impeachment Inquiry" Plainly Seeks To Reverse the Election of 2016 and To Influence the Election of 2020 (12:24)
• III. There Is No Legitimate Basis for Your "Impeachment Inquiry"; Instead, the Committees' Actions Raise Serious Questions (14:54)

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On October 3, 2019, three committees in the House of Representatives joined in providing an update with regard to impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.  Their press release states that current and former State Department officials produced documents surrounding the concern of withholding military assistance from Ukraine around the same time that the administration was looking toward Ukraine to announce an investigation into the 2016 U.S. election and the alleged involvement of Ukrainian politicians.

Read the Congressional letter and attached texts.

1. Congressional Letter (0:58)
2. Attachment: Text Messages (5:36)
3. Connecting Rudy Giuliani with Ukraine President Zelensky's Advisor (5:38)
4. Sondland Briefs Zelensky Ahead of Call with President Trump (6:13)
5. Concerns about Ukraine Becoming an "Instrument" in U.S. Politics (7:07)
6. Giuliani Advocates for Trump-Zelensky Call (7:51)
7. Volker Advises Yermak Ahead of Trump-Zelensky Call (8:45)
8. Yermak's Informal Readout of the Trump-Zelensky Call (9:20)
9. State Department Officials Discuss a White House Visit and Ukraine Statement (9:59)
10. State Department Officials Seek Giuliani's Guidance on Ukraine Statement (11:08)
11. Ukrainian Aide Seeks White House Date First (11:54)
12. Discussion of Ukrainian Statement to Include References to 2016 Election and Burisma (13:25)
13. Confirming Desire to Reference 2016 Election and Burisma (14:19)
14. Ukrainian Official Shares Press Report of U.S. Withholding Military Assistance (15:00)
15. President Trump Cancels Trip to Meet President Zelensky (15:39)
16. State Department Officials on Security Assistance and the Ukraine "Interview" (16:42)
17. State Department Officials on Withholding Security Assistance (17:31)

If you'd like episodes like these to continue, please help support the podcast by going to governmentunfiltered.com or by going to insiderfriends.com. Your support will be recognized on an upcoming show. For anonymous donations, you can go to glow.fm/insider to donate on either a one-time or recurring basis.

On September 26, 2019, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a declassified whistleblower complaint. The complainants letter alleged that President Trump sought to pressure the Ukrainian President to take actions to help the president's 2020 re-election.

The complaint is available via the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Intelligence Community Inspector General letter regarding the complaint is also available via the committee.

In case you missed it, tune into episode 4 of Government Unfiltered for a reading of the memorandum released by the White House on September 25, 2019, documenting a July 25 telephone call between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. 

Government Unfiltered operates on the value for value model. I create the show and you decide what it's worth. You can return that value by supporting the show at governmentunfiltered.com or by going to glow.fm/insider to donate on either a one-time or recurring basis.

On September 25, 2019, President Donald J. Trump released a declassified, unredacted memorandum of a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from July 25, 2019.

The released memorandum is available here:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Unclassified09.2019.pdf

Even though this document is only four pages long, it's likely you've only heard the filtered view of what's in the document through the lens of the media outlet providing the information. If you'd like to support this effort to bring you unfiltered public documents that deserve to be more accessible, you can support this podcast at insiderfriends.com or glow.fm/insider.

President Donald Trump attended the G7 summit recently and suggested that next year the meeting could be held at one of his properties in Florida. That news, in addition to a recent ruling by the Second Circuit allowing a case from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to move forward against the President.

These reports led me to wondering. What exactly is the Emoluments Clause?

A recent report titled, "The Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution," was prepared by the Congressional Research Service and posted on August 23, 2019, provides background on the emoluments clauses and summaries of court cases in various stages of litigation against the president.

Episodes of Government Unfiltered will be created using the value-for-value model. If you find value in the information provided, please help support the creation of more episodes by going to insiderfriends.com or glow.fm/insider.

Volume II of  the "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,"addresses the President's actions towards the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and related matters, and his actions towards the Special Counsel's investigation.

This volume consists of four parts. Section I provides an overview of obstruction-of-justice principles and summarizes certain investigatory and evidentiary considerations. Section II sets forth the factual results of our obstruction investigation and analyzes the evidence. Section III addresses statutory and constitutional defenses. Section IV states the conclusion.

Introduction to Volume 2 (1:24)

Executive Summary to Volume II (6:37)

1. Background Legal and Evidentiary Principles (27:13)
2. 1. Legal Framework of Obstruction of Justice (27:18)
   2. Investigative and Evidentiary Considerations (34:06)
   1. The Campaign's Response to Reports About Russian Support for Trump (41:01)
   2. 1. Press Reports Allege Links Between the Trump Campaign and Russia (42:03)
      2. The Trump Campaign Reacts to WikiLeaks's Release of Hacked Emails (43:24)
      3. The Trump Campaign Reacts to Allegations That Russia was Seeking to Aid Candidate Trump (45:52)
      4. After the Election, Trump Continues to Deny Any Contacts or Connections with Russia or That Russia Aided his Election (50:11)
      1. Incoming National Security Advisor Flynn Discusses Sanctions on Russia with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak (55:58)
      2. President-Elect Trump is Briefed on the Intelligence Community's Assessment of Russian Interference in the Election and Congress Opens Election Interference Investigations (1:00:23)
      3. Flynn Makes False Statements About his Communications with Kislyak to Incoming Administration Officials, the Media, and the FBI (1:03:01)
      4. DOJ Officials Notify the White House of Their Concerns About Flynn (1:06:11)
      5. McGahn has a Follow-Up Meeting About Flynn with Yates; President Trump has Dinner with FBI Director Comey (1:08:34)
      6. Flynn's Resignation (1:13:02)
      7. The President Discusses Flynn with FBI Director Comey (1:16:21)
      8. The Media Raises Questions About the President's Delay in Terminating Flynn (1:19:43)
      9. The President Attempts to Have K.T. McFarland Create a Witness Statement Denying that he Directed Flynn's Discussions with Kislyak (1:21:07)
   3. The President's Conduct Concerning the Investigation of Michael Flynn Evidence (54:37)
      1. Attorney General Sessions Recuses From the Russia Investigation (1:35:54)
      2. FBI Director Comey Publicly Confirms the Existence of the Russia Investigation in Testimony Before HPSCI (1:41:19) 
      3. The President Asks Intelligence Community Leaders to Make Public Statements that he had No Connection to Russia (1:46:35)
      4. The President Asks Comey to "Lift the Cloud" Created by the Russia Investigation (1:51:35)
   4. The President's Reaction to Public Confirmation of the FBI's Russia Investigation (1:35:01)
      1. Comey Testifies Before the Senate Judiciary Committee and Declines to Answer Questions About Whether the President is Under Investigation (2:02:16)
      2. The President Makes the Decision to Terminate Comey (2:05:32)
   5. Events Leading Up To and Surrounding the Termination of FBI Director Comey (2:00:44)
      1. The Appointment of the Special Counsel and the President's Reaction (2:32:55)
      2. The President Asserts that the Special Counsel has Conflicts of Interest (2:36:52)
      3. The Press Reports that the President is Being Investigated for Obstruction of Justice and the President Directs the White House Counsel to Have the Special Counsel Removed (2:42:36)
   6. The President's Efforts to Remove the Special Counsel (2:31:37)
      1. The President Asks Corey Lewandowski to Deliver a Message to Sessions to Curtail the Special Counsel Investigation (2:58:18)
      2. The President Follows Up with Lewandowski (3:01:06)
      3. The President Publicly Criticizes Sessions in a New York Times Interview (3:03:09)
      4. The President Orders Priebus to Demand Sessions's Resignation (3:04:42)
   7. The President's Efforts to Curtail the Special Counsel Investigation (2:57:27)
      1. The President Learns About the Existence of Emails Concerning the June 9, 2016 Trump Tower Meeting (3:14:57)
      2. The President Directs Communications Staff Not to Publicly Disclose Information About the June 9 Meeting (3:17:38)
      3. The President Directs Trump Jr.'s Response to Press Inquiries About the June 9 Meeting (3:20:10)
      4. The Media Reports on the June 9, 2016 Meeting (3:24:22)
   8. The President's Efforts to Prevent Disclosure of Emails About the June 9, 2016 Meeting Between Russians and Senior Campaign Officials (3:14:14)
      1. The President Again Seeks to Have Sessions Reverse his Recusal (3:33:10)
      2. Additional Efforts to Have Sessions Unrecuse or Direct Investigations Covered by his Recusal (3:35:55)
   9. The President's Further Efforts to Have the Attorney General Take Over the Investigation (3:32:47)
      1. The Press Reports that the President Tried to Fire the Special Counsel (3:47:07)
      2. The President Seeks to Have McGahn Dispute the Press Reports (3:48:29)
   10. The President Orders McGahn to Deny that the President Tried to Fire the Special Counsel (3:45:57)
       1. Conduct Directed at Michael Flynn (4:02:52)
       2. Conduct Directed at Paul Manafort (4:05:46)
       3. [Redacted - Harm to Ongoing Matter] (4:16:14)
   11. The President's Conduct Towards Flynn, Manafort, [Redacted - Harm to Ongoing Matter] (4:01:54)
       1. Candidate Trump's Awareness of and Involvement in the Trump Tower Moscow Project (4:26:40)
       2. Cohen Determines to Adhere to a "Party Line" Distancing Candidate Trump From Russia (4:32:45)
       3. Cohen Submits False Statements to Congress Minimizing the Trump Tower Moscow Project in Accordance with the Party Line (4:34:31)
       4. The President Sends Messages of Support to Cohen (4:44:30)
       5. The President's Conduct After Cohen Began Cooperating with the Government (4:50:33)
   12. The President's Conduct Involving Michael Cohen (4:24:47)
   13. Overarching Factual Issues (5:12:31)
3. Factual Results of the Obstruction Investigation (39:12)
   1. Statutory Defenses to the Application of Obstruction-Of-Justice Provisions to the Conduct Under Investigation (5:21:09)
   2. 1. The Text of Section 1512(c)(2) Prohibits a Broad Range of Obstructive Acts (5:23:07)
      2. Judicial Decisions Support a Broad Reading of Section 1512(c)(2) (5:26:26)
      3. The Legislative History of Section 1512(c)(2) Does Not Justify Narrowing Its Text (5:30:39)
      4. General Principles of Statutory Construction Do Not Suggest That Section 1512(c)(2) is Inapplicable to the Conduct in this Investigation (5:33:57)
      5. Other Obstruction Statutes Might Apply to the Conduct in this Investigation (5:38:10)
      1. The Requirement of a Clear Statement to Apply Statutes to Presidential Conduct Does Not Limit the Obstruction Statutes (5:41:28)
      2. Separation-of-Powers Principles Support the Conclusion that Congress May Validly Prohibit Corrupt Obstructive Acts Carried Out Through the President's Official Powers (5:47:01)
      3. Ascertaining Whether the President Violated the Obstruction Statutes Would Not Chill his Performance of his Article II Duties (6:01:33)
   3. Constitutional Defenses to Applying Obstruction-Of-Justice Statutes to Presidential Conduct (5:39:40)
4. Legal Defenses to the Application of Obstruction-of-Justice Statutes to the President (5:18:58)
5. Conclusion (6:08:19)

Government Unfiltered operates on the "value for value" model. We create the show and you decide what it's worth. You can return that value by supporting the show at governmentunfiltered.com or by going to glow.fm/insider to donate on either a one-time or recurring basis.

Volume I of  the "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,"describes the factual results of the Special Counsel's investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and its interactions with the Trump Campaign.

Section I describes the scope of the investigation. Sections II and III describe the principal ways Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Section IV describes links between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign. Section V sets forth the Special Counsel's charging decisions.

Introduction to Volume 1 (1:51)

Executive Summary to Volume 1 (8:06)

1. The Special Counsel's Investigation (28:27)
   1. Structure of the Internet Research Agency (40:27)
   2. Funding and Oversight from Concord and Prigozhin (41:10)
      1. The IRA Ramps Up U.S. Operations As Early As 2014 (42:16)
      2. U.S. Operations Through IRA-Controlled Social Media Accounts (43:23)
      3. U.S. Operations Through Facebook (45:43)
      4. U.S. Operations Through Twitter (49:01)
      5. U.S. Operations Involving Political Rallies (51:48)
      6. Targeting and Recruitment of U.S. Persons (53:52)
      7. Interactions and Contacts with the Trump Campaign (55:31)
   3. The IRA Targets U.S. Elections (42:11)
2. Russian "Active Measures" Social Media Campaign (37:31)
3. Russian Hacking and Dumping Operations (59:02)
   1. GRU Hacking Directed at the Clinton Campaign (1:00:37)
      1. GRU Units Target the Clinton Campaign (1:00:42)
      2. Intrusions into the DCCC and DNC Networks (1:03:30)
   2. Dissemination of the Hacked Materials (1:08:26)
      1. DCLeaks (1:08:47)
      2. Guccifer 2.0 (1:11:13)
      3. Use of WikiLeaks (1:15:30)
   3. Additional GRU Cyber Operations (1:25:18)
      1. Summer and Fall 2016 Operations Targeting Democrat-Linked Victims (1:25:39)
      2. Intrusions Targeting the Administration of U.S. Elections (1:27:33)
   4. Trump Campaign and the Dissemination of Hacked Materials (1:30:56)
      1. [Redacted - Harm to Ongoing Matter] (1:31:12)
      2. Other Potential Campaign Interest in Russian Hacked Materials (1:39:31)
4. Russian Government Links To And Contacts With The Trump Campaign (1:50:22)
   1. Campaign Period (September 2015-November 8, 2016) (1:51:32)
      1. Trump Tower Moscow Project (1:53:14)
      2. George Papadopoulos (2:20:42)
      3. Carter Page (2:44:49)
      4. Dimitri Simes and the Center for the National Interest (2:57:59)
      5. June 9, 2016 Meeting at Trump Tower  (3:10:25)
      6. Events at the Republican National Convention (3:31:12)
      7. Post-Convention Contacts with Kislyak (3:38:52)
      8. Paul Manafort (3:42:35)
   2. Post-Election and Transition-Period Contacts (4:11:23)
      1. Immediate Post-Election Activity (4:12:04)
      2. Kirill Dmitriev's Transition-Era Outreach to the Incoming Administration(4:16:34)
      3. Ambassador Kislyak's Meeting with Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn in Trump Tower Following the Election (4:36:33)
      4. Jared Kushner's Meeting with Sergey Gorkov (4:39:45)
      5. Petr Aven's Outreach Efforts to the Transition Team (4:44:12)
      6. Carter Page Contact with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich (4:49:14)
      7. Contacts With and Through Michael T. Flynn (4:50:52)
5. Prosecution and Declination Decisions (5:01:31)
   1. Russian "Active Measures" Social Media Campaign (5:03:08)
   2. Russian Hacking and Dumping Operations (5:05:55)
      1. Section 1030 Computer-Intrusion Conspiracy (5:06:00)
      2. Potential Section 1030 Violation By [Redacted - Personal Privacy] (5:08:06)
   3. Russian Government Outreach and Contacts (5:08:01)
      1. Potential Coordination: Conspiracy and Collusion (5:10:52)
      2. Potential Coordination: Foreign Agent Statutes (FARA and 18 U.S.C. § 951) (5:13:37)
      3. Campaign Finance (5:18:48)
      4. False Statements and Obstruction of the Investigation (5:33:02)

Government Unfiltered operates on the "value for value" model. We create the show and you decide what it's worth. You can return that value by supporting the show at governmentunfiltered.com or by going to glow.fm/insider to donate on either a one-time or recurring basis.