Impeachment hearing: Vindman says what he heard on Trump Ukraine call was 'inappropriate'

Two national security aides who listened to a July 25 call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's president arrived Tuesday to testify on Capitol Hill in the Trump impeachment inquiry.

Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council expert on Ukraine, both listened to the phone call Trump had with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a closed-door deposition to lawmakers last month, Vindman spoke of his concerns that Trump had asked Zelensky to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Williams has told lawmakers she found the Trump call "unusual."

In response to questions from Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., NSC aide Alexander Vindman said he knew without hesitation that he had to report his concerns about the July 25 call to White House lawyers. Vindman said that coming from a military culture, Trump’s request sounded more like a demand than a polite request that Ukraine could disregard.

“It was inappropriate,” Vindman said. “It was improper for the president to request, to demand an investigation into a political opponent, especially a foreign power where there is at best dubious belief that this could be an impartial investigation and that this would have significant implications if it became public knowledge.”

At the direction of her attorney, Mike Pence aide Jennifer Williams declined to answer a question from Schiff about a Sept. 18 call between the vice president and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The September 18 call is classified," said her attorney, adding that Pence’s office had said she could not talk about it in an open setting.