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Congressman Biggs Leads Call for Release of Volker Deposition Transcript

October 8, 2019

GILBERT, ARIZONA – Today, Congressman Andy Biggs led a letter on behalf of the House Freedom Caucus to Chairman Schiff, Chairman Engel, and Chairman Cummings, demanding the release of the full transcript of former special U.S. envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker's, October 3 deposition. Congressman Biggs released the following statement:

"After claiming for more than two years that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 election, Adam Schiff and his band of Democrats are back to their old tricks of manufacturing evidence to fit their narrative. This time, however, they are holding secret hearings to prevent the American people from learning the facts and deciding for themselves. Their antics and hatred of President Donald Trump is unprecedented, and they are deliberately undermining the will of the American people by initiating this unauthorized impeachment process. They have leaked portions of the transcript and select documents from the Volker deposition in a desperate attempt to deceive the country. The American people deserve transparency, and we are calling on these chairmen to immediately deliver the full and complete transcript immediately."

Read the text of the letter below:

October 8, 2019

The Honorable Adam Schiff
Chairman
House Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence
Capitol Visitor Center HVC-304
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Eliot Engel
Chairman
Committee on Foreign Affairs
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Elijah Cummings
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Reform
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Schiff, Chairman Engel, and Chairman Cummings:

I write to you today on behalf of the House Freedom Caucus to demand the release of the full transcript of former special U.S. envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker's, October 3, 2019 deposition by your committees. We are concerned that selectively shared information from the deposition[1] fails to provide adequate context for those discussions, to the detriment of both public and Congressional understanding of the Trump Administration's anti-corruption strategy in Ukraine.

Furthermore, given that the deposition took place in the political context of an unauthorized impeachment inquiry, it is inappropriate as a matter of process and fairness that Members be asked to draw conclusions on such grave matters without access to complete information.

Please release the full transcript of the deposition by no later than October 18, 2019. We urge you to give this matter your immediate attention.

Sincerely,

Andy Biggs
Chairman
House Freedom Caucus


[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/this-is-when-the-inquiry-gets-real-former-us-special-envoy-to-ukraine-testifies-in-impeachment-probe-today/2019/10/03/51365c1b-5a01-4e44-872a-299b67949a5e_story.html