An Envoy’s Damning Account of Trump’s Ukraine Pressure and Its Consequences

William B. Taylor Jr. laid out in visceral terms the potentially life-or-death stakes of what he saw as an illegitimate scheme to pressure Kiev for political help by suspending American security aid.

Testimony Shows High Stakes of Ukraine Scandal

• The top American diplomat in Ukraine described President Trump as holding up $391 million in aid to force Ukraine to help incriminate political rivals.
• The testimony by William Taylor was the most damning account yet to become public in the House impeachment inquiry.

NY TIMES

NY TIMES

Here are six takeaways from Mr. Taylor’s testimony.

WASHINGTON POST

“I and others sat in astonishment,” William Taylor, the top diplomat in Ukraine, told lawmakers Tuesday. Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times

Testimony undercuts Trump’s claim of no quid pro quo. How will Washington respond?

It is no longer a question of whether this happened. It is now a question of how the president explains it and how lawmakers choose to respond to it.

• By Dan Balz