Impeachment Inquiry: Major New Phase Starts in 7 Days

Mark your calendars: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Wednesday announced what the AP calls a "major new phase" of the impeachment inquiry. Public impeachment hearings will begin next Wednesday, Schiff said. Politico reports first up will be William Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent. A second day of hearings will come two days later, with ousted US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch slated to testify.

All have previously testified behind closed doors, and Taylor's transcript is set to be released Wednesday. The Washington Post has this quote from Schiff: The public hearings will show "the most important facts are largely not contested" and give Americans the chance "to learn firsthand about the facts of the president’s misconduct." NBC News reports other names will be announced by Schiff at a later time. (More Trump impeachment stories.)