Missed the impeachment hearings? Here are some surprises

WASHINGTON — Twelve witnesses, dozens of hours of testimony and thousands of pages of documents — all spread over five days of impeachment hearings.

Though many of the basics regarding the investigation of whether President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open investigations into Trump’s political enemies were known before public hearings started Nov. 13, several new things came to light.

The July 26 call

Much has been made of the July 25 call between Trump and Zelenskiy. But the public hearings revealed for the first time that there was also a significant call the day after.

Senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor testified that after his deposition, a staff member informed him about a July 26 cellphone call that the staffer overheard between Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, and Trump.

The staffer, David Holmes, was quickly deposed and called to testify publicly, where he described hearing Trump’s voice booming from the phone. He said he heard Trump ask Sondland whether Zelenskiy had agreed to do the investigations.

“(Sondland) said, ‘Oh yeah, he’s going to do it. He’ll do anything you ask,’ ” Holmes said.

The July 25 emails

We knew about the July 25 call, but not about the July 25 emails.

Ukraine may have known that the Trump administration was withholding aid the same day of the July 25 phone call between the world leaders, Laura Cooper, a Pentagon official specializing in Ukraine, told lawmakers. She disclosed for the first time the existence of two emails received by her staff and a call they received from the Ukrainian Embassy. Each described Ukrainian officials inquiring about the U.S. aid.

When Ukrainians learned about the delay is crucial because Republicans argue that there could be no quid pro quo if Ukrainians were not aware that the aid was being withheld.

Sondland’s surprise reversal

Sondland was a witness specifically requested by Republicans, but he didn’t help their case.

Sondland had come across in his deposition as defending the president.

But with other witnesses contradicting his testimony, Sondland — who had already been forced once to revise his deposition — changed his tune during his public appearance.

“Was there a quid pro quo?” he asked. “The answer is yes.”

Why the aid was withheld

The hold on nearly $400 million in Ukraine aid was announced by an Office of Management and Budget staff member who said it was being done at the direction of the president. But nearly every witness testified that they never got a full explanation of why the aid to Ukraine was withheld.

Most, including Sondland, said they presumed it was related to the push for investigations. But Sondland testified that Trump never directly connected the two things.

It remains a hole in Democrats’ case.

Few minds changed

While Democrats appear closer to impeaching Trump, the hearings did not reveal any cracks in Republican support.

Even Rep. Will Hurd, a retiring Republican from Texas thought to be a potential swing vote, said Thursday he still isn’t on board.

“An impeachable offense should be compelling, overwhelmingly clear and unambiguous. And it’s not something to be rushed or taken lightly,” Hurd said. “I have not heard evidence proving the president committed bribery or extortion.”