A top State Department official blew a hole through one of Trump's main talking points in the impeachment hearing
- One of the witnesses who testified during the first public impeachment hearing on Wednesday blew a hole through President Donald Trump's main talking points.
- George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, testified that there was no evidence that Ukraine intervened in the 2016 US presidential election.
- Kent also said there was no evidence that former Vice President Joe Biden acted improperly in his dealings with Ukraine.
- In both instances, Kent told the House Intelligence Committee that neither the accusations against Biden nor the conspiracy theory about the 2016 election held any water.
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A top State Department official effectively dismantled one of President Donald Trump's main talking points on Wednesday during the first public impeachment hearing.
George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, testified on Trump's efforts to pressure the Ukrainian president into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and a debunked conspiracy theory on the 2016 election.
On both topics, Kent blew a hole in Trump's allegations, telling the House Intelligence Committee that neither the accusations against Biden nor the conspiracy theory about the 2016 election held any water.
In one exchange with Kent, the Democrats' staff lawyer Daniel Goldman brought up the bogus allegations that Ukraine interfered in the US election instead of Russia, and asked whether there was any evidence of Ukrainian interventions.
"To my knowledge, there is no factual basis, no," Kent replied.
He continued: "I think it's amply clear that Russian interference was at the heart of interference in the 2016 election cycle."
Goldman then pivoted to the subject of the Bidens, addressing a common allegation from Trump's allies that Biden forced the ouster of Ukraine's top prosecutor in order to halt an investigation into an energy company for which his son was a board member.
"To your knowledge, is there any factual basis to support those allegations?" Goldman asked.
"None whatsoever," Kent replied.
Goldman then asked whether Biden acted "in accordance with official US policy" in his dealings with Ukraine.
"He did," Kent said.
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