George Taylor reiterated the life and death consequences of letting a president get away with withholding critical military aid.

TAYLOR: “As the committee is aware, I wrote that withholding security assistance in exchange for help with a domestic political campaign in the United States would be crazy. I believed that then, and I believe it now.”

TAYLOR: “Even as we sit here today, the Russians are attacking Ukrainian soldiers in their own country and have been for the last four years. I saw this on the front line last week; the day I was there a Ukrainian soldier was killed and four were wounded. Third, the security assistance we provide is crucial to Ukraine’s defense and to the protection of the soldiers I met last week. It demonstrates to Ukrainians—and Russians—that we are Ukraine’s reliable strategic partner. It is clearly in our national interest to deter further Russian aggression.”

People died while Trump held up critical U.S. aid to Ukraine.

LA TIMES: “When President Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine in July, Oleksandr Markiv was in a trench defending his country’s eastern front line against Russia-backed separatist militias.

“Two months later, Markiv, 38, was dead, killed by shrapnel during a mortar attack on his battalion’s position in a notoriously dangerous defense point known as the Svitlodarsk Bulge.  Markiv was one of 25 Ukrainian fatalities on the front line since July 18, the day Trump quietly put on hold a $391-million military aid package appropriated by Congress for Ukraine last year.”

It isn’t a secret that Ukraine needs U.S. support and military aid to defend itself from Russian aggression. Withholding it endangered Ukrainian lives.

Bill Taylor testimony: “Over 13,000 Ukrainians had been killed in the war, one or two a week. More Ukrainians would undoubtedly die without the U.S. assistance.”

Taylor and Vindman previously testified that “more Ukrainians would undoubtedly die without the U.S. assistance.” 

Taylor Deposition: “Ambassador Volker and I could see the armed and hostile Russian-led forces on the other side of the damaged bridge across the line of contact. Over 13,000 Ukrainians had been killed in the war, one or two a week. More Ukrainians would undoubtedly die without U.S. assistance.”

Vindman Deposition: “U.S. aid would amount to a fairly significant portion of their GDP. And in order to undertake even the basic things like reforms, developing the kinds of skills that they need to more effectively defend themselves against Russian aggression, it was critical.”