Colonel Vindman is going public

This week we saw U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman give devastating impeachment testimony against Donald Trump behind closed doors, even as House Democrats formally laid out their plans for taking the impeachment process public. Now it turns out these two things are about to coalesce into the perfect storm against Trump.

Tomorrow the House will vote on (and pass) a resolution that sets up public impeachment hearings that will be televised. That’s left us with the big question: which witnesses will appear in front of the cameras? Put another way: which witnesses are willing to in front of the cameras, and which witnesses does the House want in front of the cameras? Now we have some answers.

Colonel Vindman is now confirming that he’s willing to publicly testify against Donald Trump, according to Yamiche Alcindor of PBS NewsHour. This is a big deal, because based on his opening statement and what else has surfaced about his closed-door testimony, House Democrats definitely want to put him in front of the cameras. But there’s more.

If Colonel Vindman is the most important witness to testify against Donald Trump to date, then the State Department’s Bill Taylor may be the second most important witness to date. That means House Democrats have more good news on their hands, because Taylor is also now saying he’s willing to publicly testify. These pieces are rapidly falling into place for the televised House impeachment hearings.