Democrats announce public impeachment hearings with eight witnesses next week

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said the committee expected to hear on Tuesday from key witnesses such as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council (NSC), and Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Pence. The panel also plans to hear from Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a top NSC official.

Schiff said on Wednesday that lawmakers plan to hear from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who revised his testimony to say he believed the president “likely” conditioned nearly $400 million in aid to opening such probes. Later that afternoon, they will hear from top Defense official Laura Cooper, who testified about decisions to withhold the aid, and David Hale, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

Democrats will wrap up the second week of public hearings with testimony from Fiona Hill, former NSC senior director for Europe and Russia, who testified about her concern that Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others sought to remove a top diplomat to Ukraine.

The announcement comes one day before Democrats are expected to hold their first public hearing, in which they hope two career State Department officials will deliver convincing testimony about Trump pressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open investigations into interference in the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.