President Trump cast doubt Thursday on impeachment witness David Holmes’ claim that he overheard a phone call between Mr. Trump and a U.S. ambassador in Ukraine.
The president also expressed satisfaction that the impeachment case will soon switch to “our turf,” meaning the Republican-led Senate.
As Mr. Holmes was delivering his opening statement to lawmakers, the president tweeted, “I have been watching people making phone calls my entire life. My hearing is, and has been, great. Never have I been watching a person making a call, which was not on speakerphone, and been able to hear or understand a conversation. I’ve even tried, but to no avail. Try it live!”
Mr. Holmes said he heard U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland in Ukraine having a phone call with the president and could overhear a portion of the conversation. Mr. Holmes said he heard Mr. Trump asking about “investigations.”
Last week, Democrats accused Mr. Trump of trying to intimidate the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch by tweeting negatively about her as she was testifying.
The president said Thursday of the impeachment proceedings, “We are winning big, and they will soon be on our turf.”
He also criticized the media’s coverage of Mr. Sondland’s testimony on Wednesday.
“The Republican Party, and me, had a GREAT day yesterday with respect to the phony Impeachment Hoax, & yet, when I got home to the White House & checked out the news coverage on much of television, you would have no idea they were reporting on the same event,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “FAKE & CORRUPT NEWS!”
He added, “I never in my wildest dreams thought my name would in any way be associated with the ugly word, Impeachment! The calls (Transcripts) were PERFECT, there was NOTHING said that was wrong. No pressure on Ukraine. Great corruption & dishonesty by [House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam] Schiff on the other side!”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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