This is the backstory. I love classical music. I play it in the background while I teach online or write articles. One of my favorite pieces is from Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Mussorgsky had a close friend, Viktor Hartmann. However, Hartmann died of an aneurysm at the age of 39, which devastated Mussorgsky. Hartmann’s funeral was an interesting tribute to him. He was an artist and his funeral was a viewing of Hartmann’s many paintings at the Academy of Fine Arts at St. Petersburg. Instead of viewing his body, mourners viewed his artistic works.

Mussorgsky was so moved by the paintings that he went home and wrote his suite, Pictures at an Exhibition, in a couple of weeks in June of 1873.

Pictures at an Exhibition consisted of four movements, which musically depicted some of his paintings. The movements were separated from each other by traveling music. Mussorgsky would describe several paintings in a room and then move to the next room. My favorite musical painting by Mussorgsky was Hartmann’s painting, The Great Gate of Kiev.

The Great Gate at Kiev

That is the backstory regarding my interest in listening to the first televised impeachment hearing of Trump. Since I have been fascinated about Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, for decades, I was interested in William Taylor and George Kent’s testimonies and their assignments in Kiev.

George Kent and William Taylor

The very first thing that interested me was Taylor’s pronunciation of the word, Kiev. However, the bombshell statement that caught everyone off guard was far more important. Taylor’s aide actually heard the Trump and Sondland’s phone call on July 25th.

Also, Rep. Peter Welch, a member of the Intelligence Committee, invited Trump to come before the committee and testify about withholding nearly $400 million dollars of military assistance for Ukraine.

It is doubtful that our fake president will testify before this committee. In fact, he has told the members of his staff not to appear also. Additionally, he won’t allow Taylor or Kent to bring their State Department’s official material, which they wrote about regarding the entire Ukraine issue.

Regardless, the House Intelligence Committee already has a smoking gun after day one. The second open hearing will have Marie Yovanovitch, the former US Ambassador to Ukraine on November 15th. In closed session, Taylor’s aide will testify. On November 19th, Jennifer Williams, a State Department official, and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council staffer will testify. This will be in the morning. In the afternoon, Kurt Volker, former US special representative to Ukraine and Tim Morrison, a National Security Council staffer will testify. Gordon Sondland, US Ambassador to the EU will testify on November 20th. On the 21st, former National Security Council staffer, Fiona Hill will testify. This is the schedule for the next week.

This will be an interesting time for all Americans to hear from government employees testifying under oath about our fake president. Methinks that Trump’s clock is ticking before he becomes our former fake president.

Tick, tock, tick, tock….

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This video is of Andrew Weissmann, one of the prosecutors on the Mueller group, discusses the first day of the public impeachment hearings.

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