What Went Down On Day 1 Of The Impeachment Hearings

I know that impeachment is not a criminal proceeding, but it seems to me that it would be helpful to Democrats’ efforts if they used the text of the Constitution more directly. The Constitution says, “The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Maybe ask bluntly if this is bribery? I’m not a lawyer but that seems like a good soundbite.

Taylor (as opposed to Kent) is dominating the question time. That makes sense given what Amelia said about Taylor being the Democrats’ star witness.

Goldman is asking Taylor if he came to understand that Sondland had a direct line of communication with Trump. Taylor says yes. This is important setup for Sondland’s testimony next week. He might be something of an unreliable witness, having already been forced to “update” his testimony to match what Taylor and other witnesses said, but he’s also one of the few witnesses who actually communicated with Trump.