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A Republican congressman Mike Turner (involved in the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump) has admitted new information he has heard as part of the investigation is alarming. Turner is a Republican who sits on the House Intelligence Committee. He was asked about testimony which alleges Trump directed Gordon Sondland (the US ambassador to the EU) to pressure Ukraine into launching an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter. A former National Security Council official informed the U.S Congress he heard from Sondland that Ukraine had to make an announcement about the investigation to receive US military aid. Turner informed CNN’s Jake Tapper and said, “Of course, all of that is alarming. As I’ve said from the beginning, I think this is not OK. The president of the United States shouldn’t even in the original phone call be on the phone with the president of another country and raise his political opponent. So, no, this is not OK”.

The congressman went on to point to Sondland’s testimony, in spite of his concerns. The ambassador claimed the direction was not a quid pro quo by the U.S President. He also defended Trump’s tweets attacking Marie Yovanovitch (the former ambassador to Ukraine) as she testified publicly. Yovanovitch said the president’s tweets were very intimidating. Turner described the tweets as unfortunate but not witness intimidation. Moreover, Turner’s answer indicates disquiet in the Republican Party about the allegations against Trump. The congressman said he could not comment on the closed-door testimony of David Holmes (a State Department official based in Kyiv).

Holmes testified that he overheard Trump asking the ambassador if Volodymyr Zelensky (the Ukrainian president) would “do the investigation”. The official also informed the U.S Congress that Sondland said the president only cares about the big stuff that benefits him in Ukraine. He was referring to an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter. It is noteworthy that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe Biden or his son in Ukraine. He said the House of Representatives must impeach him and the Republican-led Senate must then vote to convict Trump and to be removed from the office.