Trump’s ex-Russia aide said the president used a ‘shadow foreign policy’ to ‘personally benefit’ himself: report

Fiona Hill, a former top White House adviser on Russia, revealed to congressional investigators on Monday that President Donald Trump conducted policy toward Ukraine for his personal benefit, according to a new report from the Washington Post.

She reportedly said that the president used his attorney Rudy Giuliani to a “run shadow foreign policy in Ukraine that circumvented U.S. officials and career diplomats in order to personally benefit” himself.

Hill testified for about ten hours on Monday as the impeachment inquiry continued apace. More former and current officials are scheduled to testify in the weeks to come.

The reports about Hill’s testimony confirm what is publicly known about Trump and Giuliani’s efforts to induce Ukraine to, among other things, investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son in exchange for support from the U.S. But they also strengthen the case that the concerns about Trump’s conduct, viewed by many as impeachable on its face, are not some drummed up excuse to impeach the president — in fact, they reflect fears and objections that existed within the administration itself before the full story was exposed.

The Wall Street Journal additionally reported Monday night that Hill testified that other White House officials were “alarmed” by the efforts to push for the investigations in Ukraine. The report also said she raised her concerns with National Security Council lawyer John Eisenberg.