Donald Trump impeachment inquiry supercharged by top Ukraine envoy William Taylor’s ‘damning testimony’

Senior diplomat says US president wanted Ukraine leader to publicly declare investigation of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter

Envoy’s testimony draws ‘very specific direct line’ from Trump to the ‘withholding of foreign aid and refusal of meeting’ with foreign leader Volodymyr Zelensky

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Ambassador William Taylor is escorted by US Capitol Police as he arrives to testify before House committees as part of the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 5:14am, 23 Oct 2019Updated: 4:37am, 24 Oct 2019

The top US diplomat in Ukraine poured fuel on Donald Trump’s impeachment probe on Tuesday with a detailed account of how the president pushed Kiev to discredit one of his main political rivals, withholding US military aid to exert pressure.

Democrats said the congressional testimony by William Taylor was a stunning confirmation of their allegations that Trump abused his office by seeking foreign help to hurt Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

“It’s all there. What’s there left for me to say when you have such a clear and detailed statement?” said House Democrat Tom Malinowski, a former diplomat.

Neither the White House nor senior Republicans reacted immediately.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz steps out of a closed-door meeting where former US ambassador William Taylor is testifying as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Photo: AP

In a 15-page opening statement quickly leaked to US media, Taylor recounted in deep detail how Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, came under sustained pressure after taking office.

Taylor said he was told Trump wanted Zelensky “to state publicly” that he would investigate Biden and his son Hunter for what he said was corruption in the ex-Soviet republic.