Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence who listened to the call between President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the center of the House impeachment inquiry, allegedly told congressional investigators that she found the discussion to be unusual.
The revelation, which comes from two sources familiar with the testimony, was revealed during a closed-door deposition which took place after Williams was issued a subpoena, according to CNN. Williams allegedly claimed that she never heard Pence discuss the 2016 election, former Vice President Joe Biden or Burisma, the Ukrainian company on whose board Hunter Biden sat.
Williams reportedly said that the tone of the call, which was political in nature, was not normal in comparison to other diplomacy calls. She allegedly made notes of the call and the transcript for Pence but was unsure if the vice president read them.
According to CNN:
"Williams testified that she had limited information about why military aid was being withheld from Ukraine. She was puzzled about it, but was kept in the dark about the decision-making process. She described herself as someone who stayed in her lane and wasn't pushing to understand why the aide was withheld.
“However, Williams suggested to lawmakers she believed it could be tied to what she heard on the call: Trump's request that Ukraine open investigations into the Bidens and the 2016 election, a third source familiar with the testimony told CNN.A source with knowledge of her testimony added that Williams did not say she believed the two were connected, but simply expressed that as a possibility."Williams' testimony joins a the ranks of other government officials who have given closed-door testimonies following a whistleblower complaint about Trump's July call with Zelensky.
Williams' testimony joins the ranks of other government officials who have given closed-door testimonies following a whistleblower complaint about Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky. The president has repeatedly described the conversation as “perfect.”
"Jen is the type of person who I know to be dedicated to the institution above anything else," Brett Bruen, the former Director of Global Engagement at the White House under President Barack Obama, told CNN.
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