Latest Trump Impeachment News: Nancy Pelosi Says Trump Committed Bribery In Demanding Ukraine Investigations

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday President Trump has admitted trying to bribe officials to conduct investigations into his political arrivals as House impeachment investigators prepared to depose a diplomatic aide who overheard a conversation in which Trump reportedly asked about the status of the investigations.

Pelosi’s statement came a day after the House opened the public phase of its impeachment inquiry to determine whether Trump abused the power of his office by withholding $391 military aid to the former Soviet republic in exchange for investigations into unfounded allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, his son, Hunter, and a debunked conspiracy theory involving Ukrainian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

She said what Trump has admitted to on the record “makes what [Richard] Nixon did look almost small.”

“I am saying what the president has admitted to and said it’s perfect — it’s perfectly wrong. It’s bribery,” Pelosi told reporters at her regular Thursday news conference.

“The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for public statement of a fake investigation into elections. That’s bribery.”

She also described Wednesday’s testimony as “devastating” to the president.

Trump released a reconstructed transcript of a July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he asked for a “favor.” The call came just days after he froze military aid. Trump has described the call as “perfect.”

At Wednesday’s opening impeachment hearing, veteran diplomat William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, testified a State Department staffer overheard a conversation between Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, which occurred July 26. During the call, Trump allegedly asked about the status of “the investigations.” When asked by Holmes what Trump thought of Ukraine, Sondland allegedly responded Trump was more interested in the investigations.

Trump denied the conversation took place.

Republicans spent Wednesday’s hearing attempting to muddy the waters, calling Taylor’s testimony second-hand information.

The staffer has been identified as David Holmes, a counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv. He is due to appear for a closed-door deposition Friday, but it was not immediately clear whether he would talk with impeachment investigators. The White House has ordered administration employees not to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was scheduled to testify publicly Friday. In closed-door testimony, she said Trump minions, including attorney Rudy Giuliani, conducted a smear campaign against her.