Deputy Assistant DoD Secretary Laura Cooper Deposition Transcript Available

Recall that this was the day the GOP stormed the SCIF. This DoD fact-witness nails down the issues holding up military aid and the elements of the narrative that is not simply about one conversation but a parallel, insurgent process to abet bribery and extortion. 



@davegreenidge57 #lauracooper testified that a review of Ukraine’s efforts to combat corruption had already been completed in May, of this year. @realDonaldTrump had no legitimate, or legal basis to withhold military aid to Ukraine.

On August 20, 2019, Ambassador Kurt Volker was engaged in “an effort to see if there was a statement that the government of Ukraine could make” in order to lift President Trump’s hold on the security assistance. (Page 68-69)

A: With respect to the other—I forget how you described it.

Q: Nontraditional form of diplomacy?

A: Nontraditional form of diplomacy. My personal interaction was only with Ambassador Kurt Volker. So on about August 20th he visited me and this was not unusual because he was—he was working on the peace negotiations and peace process. So we were actually supporting him in terms of developing concepts for political peacekeeping operations, you know, military—how the military relates to the possible political settlement so I had met with him many, many times previously. But towards the end of August when he met with me for what, you know, I thought was going to be you know just a routine touch base on Ukraine, but also I thought it was going to be a strategizing session on how do we get this security assistance released knowing that we both—we both wanted the funding released. So in that meeting he did mention something to me that, you know, was the first about somehow an effort that he was engaged in to see if there was a statement that the government of Ukraine would make that would somehow disavow any interference in U.S. elections and would commit to the prosecution of any individuals involved in election interference. And that was about as specific as it got.

Q: Okay. Did he indicate to you that if that channel he was working was successful it might lift this issue?

A: Yes.…