Scoop: Fiona Hill to warn of "fictional narrative" on Ukraine in testimony

[Julian English]

Source: Axios

Former White House official Fiona Hill will tell Thursday's impeachment hearing that a "fictional narrative" about Ukraine, driven by partisan politics, distracted President Trump from the real threat that Russia poses to America's democracy.

Why she matters: Hill, who left last summer as Trump's top adviser on Russia and Europe, gives House investigators a window into former national security adviser John Bolton's objections to Trump's Ukraine activities. In closed testimony last month, Hill said Bolton called Rudy Giuliani a "hand grenade that is going to blow everybody up."

In a brief opening statement, Hill will emphasize that she believes it is her patriotic duty to answer the House Intelligence Committee's questions about what she saw and what she knows, according to a source familiar with her testimony.

Hill will speak about where she comes from: She is descended from generations of coal miners in the U.K., and her family’s love and respect for America is why she became an American citizen.
Hill, who has served under three different Republican and Democratic presidents, will address why she has dedicated her career to being a nonpartisan foreign policy expert.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/impeachment-hearing-fiona-hill-trump-ukraine-testimony-49fbce41-bf1c-4b02-964c-701196d30d5c.html

[gristy]

1. Hill's opening statement is at the link

here's two paragraphs from p. 7:

As Republicans and Democrats have agreed for decades,
Ukraine is a valued partner of the United States, and it
plays an important role in our national security. And as I
told this Committee last month, I refuse to be part of an
effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the
Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that
Ukraine—not Russia—attacked us in 2016.

These fictions are harmful even if they are deployed for
purely domestic political purposes. President Putin and
the Russian security services operate like a Super PAC.
They deploy millions of dollars to weaponize our own
political opposition research and false narratives. When
we are consumed by partisan rancor, we cannot combat
these external forces as they seek to divide us against each
another, degrade our institutions, and destroy the faith of
the American people in our democracy.

[duforsure]

2. Why is trump and many of the republicans aligned with Russia and Putin?

I think it all revolves around corruption, and that they are very compromised , from money laundering, sex issues and crimes, and criminal acts they were caught being involved in, and using that to manipulate them to weaken us in this country, and to increase their power for Putin.Republicans and especially with trump who is probably. In debt with them up to his eyeballs to them, and put ins using this information against them, like trump's desperately trying to do to members of a congress, the Supreme Court justices, and to business leaders. Trump is helping get them compromised and suspect he has foreign intel eavesdropping illegally trying to get dirt on people, including republicans. Putin does this in Russia, and other countries also. Trump and the republicans are treasonous traitors for doing this and will be held accountable, or we will not live in a Democracy. They are Russian assets now.

[Lonestarblue]

3. Putin and his Russian mafia are behind Trump and some key Republicans.

They have converted them to assets, mostly willing from appearances, who have been paid to support policies favoring Russia. This seems the definition of treason, but proving it will be difficult, especially with a DOJ that favors dictatorship rather than democracy.

[BlueIdaho]

7. Follow the money... nt.

[justgamma]

8. Didn't they hack into the RNC servers,too.

Could they have the goods on the Cons and that's why they are playing ball with Putin?

[keithbvadu2]

4. Today's republicans: "Russia is our friend".

Today's republicans: "Russia is our friend".

"... retired Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis said in May 2015 that among world threats “in the near term, I think the most dangerous might be Russia.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/6/donald-trump-james-mattis-differ-on-vladimir-putin/

[olegramps]

5. At long last: The case of the Red Herring revisited.

What will it take for the Democrats to speak in a clear and concise voice to the obvious? Perhaps, hopefully, Dr. Hill will awaken the people to the fact that every decision by this administration has been for the sole benefit of our sworn enemies, the Russian Putin regime that is determined to crush us. The redirection of our attention must be dedicated to countering the Russian clear intentions and why the Trump administration is focus on the concocting lies that it wasn't Russia but that the Ukraine was responsible the election interference.

It is long past due that serious questions must be asked as exactly why every decision in this area of international policy by this administration has been to the determent of our nation and solely to benefit Russia and their authoritarian allies. While the broadcast airwaves are saturated with hated and division, they been totally oblivious of the overt support of this administration for our swore enemies. The litany of betrayal ranging from alienation or our allies to overt and blazon support of Putin has been the outstanding hallmark of Trump and his cadre of cut throats.

It is with great anticipation that I am hoping the Dr. Hill can awaken the nation to the real threat we are facing. It is that we have at the helm of our nation a man who has betrayed our nation and must be held accountable.

[riversedge]

6. Cnn: Hill: "some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services di

Hill smacked it to the Republican non believers!


31 min ago
Fiona Hill: Ukraine election meddling is a "fictional narrative" told by Russia

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/impeachment-hearing-11-21-19/index.html

Former White House Russia expert Fiona Hill will tell the House Intelligence Committee that the idea that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 US presidential election is a "fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services."

Here's what she will say, according to a copy of her prepared remarks:

"Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country — and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did," she will say.

Hill will continue:
""This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves."
"