Ive seen the supplemental testimony from Pence aide Jennifer Williams, Schumer told reporters during a break in the trial. Im not sure it should be classified. I agree with the House managers to declassify it.
He declined to comment further because the document was classified.
Schumer became just the latest Democrat to push the White House to declassify the mysterious Williams letter. During opening arguments Wednesday night, Rep. Zoe LofgrenZoe Ellen LofgrenDemocrats begin to present case for Trump impeachment to SenateGOP rejects effort to compel documents on delayed Ukraine aidWhite House appoints GOP House members to advise Trump’s impeachment teamMORE (D-Calif.), one of the House impeachment managers presenting the case against President TrumpDonald John TrumpMnuchin knocks Greta Thunberg’s activism: Study economics and then ‘come back’ to usThe Hill’s Morning Report – House prosecutes Trump as ‘lawless,’ ‘corrupt’What to watch for on Day 3 of Senate impeachment trialMORE, urged declassification, declaring that a cover-up is not a proper reason to classify a document.
And after viewing the document in a secure Senate briefing room Thursday morning, several Democratic senators demanded the document be declassified.
“There’s no reason that it should be kept classified. It should be made public, regardless of which side it helps. The American people should judge,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a former Connecticut attorney general, told reporters.
The one-page document focuses on a Sept. 18 phone call between Pence and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a week before Zelensky met with Trump at the United Nations.
Williams, a special adviser to Pence on Europe and Russia issues, sent the letter to House impeachment investigators after she testified publicly before the House Intelligence Committee in November. During that appearance, Williams described listening in on the now-infamous July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky that prompted a whistleblower complaint against the president and eventually led to his impeachment last month.
Senators on Thursday were extremely tight-lipped about the contents of the Williams letter, but many Democrats began reviewing it behind closed doors after a rare deal was struck a day earlier between the two parties to admit it as evidence into the impeachment trial. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts announced the terms of the deal late Wednesday night.
Rep. Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffThe Hill’s Morning Report – House prosecutes Trump as ‘lawless,’ ‘corrupt’What to watch for on Day 3 of Senate impeachment trialDemocrats’ impeachment case lands with a thud with GOP but real audience is votersMORE (D-Calif.), the Intelligence Committee chairman who led the impeachment investigation and now is lead impeachment manager in the trial, has previously stated that declassifying the letter would provide the public further understanding of the events in question.
But Trumps allies are downplaying the significance of the Williams letter.
I dont know that any other documents are going to make a more compelling case for my Democratic colleagues at this point, said Rep. Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsRepublicans take aim at Nadler for saying GOP senators complicit in ‘cover-up’The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump trial begins with clash over rulesThis week: Raucous rules fight, opening arguments in impeachment trialMORE (R-N.C.), a top Trump defender and surrogate on impeachment whos been watching the trial.
For the vast majority of Americans, its time to get this [impeachment] over with.
John Kruzel contributed.
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