After Senator Johnson offered his perspective, Senator Murphy similarly provided an account of the September 5 meeting.[1] Senator Murphy did not dispute the facts as recounted by Senator Johnson, including that President Zelensky raised no concerns about feeling pressure to investigate the President's political rival.[2] Senator Murphy, however, interpreted President Zelensky's silence to mean that he felt pressure.[3] This "interpretation"—based on what President Zelensky did not say—is unpersuasive in light of President Zelensky's repeated and consistent statements that he felt no pressure.[4]
11. In early September 2019, President Zelensky's government implemented several anti-corruption reform measures.
Publicly available information shows that following the seating of Ukraine's new parliament, the Verkhovna Rada (Rada), on August 29, 2019, the Zelensky government initiated aggressive anti-corruption reforms. Almost immediately, President Zelensky appointed a new prosecutor general and opened Ukraine's Supreme Anti-Corruption Court.[5] On September 3, the Rada passed a bill that removed parliamentary immunity.[6] President Zelensky signed the bill on September 11.[7] On September 18, the Rada approved a bill streamlining corruption prosecutions and allowing the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court to focus on high-level corruption cases.[8]
Witnesses described how these legislative initiatives instilled confidence that Ukraine was delivering on anti-corruption reform. NSC staffer LTC Vindman testified that the Rada's efforts were significant.[9] In his deposition, Ambassador Taylor lauded President Zelensky for this demonstrable commitment to reform. He testified:
President Zelensky was taking over Ukraine in a hurry. He had appointed reformist ministers and supported long-stalled anticorruption legislation. He took quick executive action, including opening Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court, which was established under previous Presidential administration but was never allowed to operate. . . . With his new parliamentary majority, President Zelensky changed the Ukrainian constitution to remove absolute immunity from Rada deputies, which had been the source of raw corruption for decades.[10]
- ↑ Letter from Sen. Chris Murphy to Adam Schiff, Chairman, H. Perm. Sel. Comm. on Intelligence, & Carolyn Maloney, Acting Chairwoman, H. Comm. on Oversight & Reform (Nov. 19, 2019).
- ↑ Id. at 5.
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ See supra Section I.A.2.
- ↑ Stefan Wolff & Tatyana Malyarenko, In Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy must tread carefully or may end up facing another Maidan uprising, The Conversation, Nov. 11, 2019.
- ↑ Bill on lifting parliamentary immunity submitted to Zelensky for signature, Unian, Sept. 4, 2019.
- ↑ Zelensky signs law on stripping parliamentary immunity, Interfax-Ukraine, Sept. 11, 2019.
- ↑ Anti-corruption Court to receive cases from NABU, SAPO, 112 UA, Sept. 18, 2019.
- ↑ Impeachment Inquiry: LTC Alexander Vindman and Ms. Jennifer Williams, supra note 6.
- ↑ Taylor deposition, supra note 47, at 22-23.
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