let's go straight to nbc news' white house reporter mike viqueira. vick, we started the top of the hour, were just about to go to you, then we get -- it happens all the time. we get the e-mail. we think it is because of the omb official mark sandy who just left, right? that might actually be some release of what's happening. indeed, it's of two individuals that aren't necessarily top of mind but clearly essential because they were in the proverbial room. >> they were in the room. >> what did you learn? i know you've been going through it. >> right. we are still going through it truth be told, richard, looking for things we didn't already know from previous released or should we say leaked information. first and foremost i think the thing that jumps out at me and again we've gone through this very preliminarily at this point was that jennifer williams, and this is the individual who is the top adviser on russia and europe to vice president pence, who was again on that july 25th call, says she thought it was unusual and inappropriate and shed some ligh

joining us now for the latest, nbc news white house correspondent mike viqueira. mike, what can you tell us? >> good evening, al. you're right, that testimony from gordon sondland, the eu ambassador, is mentioned in these transcripts at the center of these allegations that have led to the dramatic hearings this week. let's start with jennifer williams and the transcripts that were released an hour ago by the intelligence committee in the house of representatives. we'll start with jennifer weapons , that top aide on europe and russia to vice president pence who was on that july 25th call. she says the call in her view was more political in nature, so it struck me as unusual and inappropriate. she further testified that -- i guess for me it shedlight on possible other motivations behind a security assistance hold. that, of course, refers to that $400 million that was held allegedly because president trump wanted president volodymyr zelensky, the newly elected president of ukraine to go before cameras and call for an investigation into the bidens and burisma. now let

let's head to the white house now where nbc's mike viqueira has been following today's developments. mike, how has the white house if at all to what has happened today as we get transcripts as well as from the testimony that happened on the hill today? >> reporter: we haven't heard direct reaction to the latest transcripts that have been released, but republicans even before this ukraine scandal broke and even before all the things we've been talking about, even going back before the mueller report, they've always been plagued by this fact that they are not on the same page message wise as the president. just when you think they have a communications plan, the president walks right into it and detonates a bomb. we saw that with the testimony of marie yovanovitch yesterday, the ukrainian ambassador that the president recalled on the strength of those rumors in what she termed smears put forward by the back channel of rudy giuliani and the individuals that he was dealing with within the ukraine. the republican defense all along -- we heard from jim jordan in garrett's piece, has been o

mike viqueira from the white house. thanks. >>> the impeachment hearing exposing an ever-changing republican strategy and also the tension between both parties. devin nunes in a heated exchange calling the hearings democrats watergate fantasies in an effort to topple duly elected president. with me now former house oversight committee spokesperson and i want your reaction to that exchange there between schiff and ranking member nunes and republican congresswoman elise stefanik. >> i know ms. stefanik you had a few quick questions for the ambassador. yield to you. >> thank you, mr. nunes, ambassador yovanovitch -- >> the gentlemanwoman will suspend. >> what is the interruption for this time? it is our time. >> the gentleman will suspend. the koucongresswoman is not recognized. >> it is accurate. >> that is not accurate. >> ambassador yovanovitch. >> the genwoman will suspend. you're not recognized. >> i should mention raising more than $300,000 in the last 24 hours after that performance. you know the rules and the proce

>> mike viqueira, the big highlight was friday. marie yovanovitch. brett was commenting on his colleagues that were giving testimony. is somebody going to be there to say do not tweet? >> reporter: it's been ineffective. >> so far. >> reporter: yeah. that john kelly, of course, the former chief of staff here, had some sort of restraint and some sort of restrictions on access and tried to dial it back from the president. i can't remember what the exact figure is, the average number of tweets per day has only increased since the departure of john kelly. i might add a lot of republican members of congress who would like to see the president rein it in and show some sort of discipline, that's not going to happen. >> wide eyed and very, very intense when that incident happened with with marie yovanovitch. two days away since that happened. what's the read coming from adam schiff on his team on that? >> they feel like it played very well. if the president were to tweet again, i would expect them to pass out the tweets like they did last week and employ the

viqueira has the details. >> here is clint. >> tonight former lieutenant clint lorens reunited with his family after six years in military prison. >> i want to say thank you, president trump. >> the white house released the emotional video after president trump granted lorens a full pardon he was serving a 19-year sentence for murdering to you tw afghan civilians while deployed in 2012. the president clearing two others also. according to "the washington post" and "the new york times," the moods are controversial, defying the wishes of senior military leaders who argue the pardons undermine the military code of justice. but in a statement the pentagon says the president had the authority to weigh in on matters of this nature mr. trump also restoring the rank of navy s.e.a.l. ed ward gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in a highly publicized trial this summer but still demoted after posing with a photo with a captain's corporation. and major golsteyn orbelieved to be a member of the taliban. >> we woke up today still incredibly stunned. >> major goal stelsteyn appearing on fox new

mike viqueira is joining us from the white house. no doubt people there are on edge. and sondland is expected to be the key for the democrats. what are they expecting or hoping to hear from him? >> reporter: you're right. the democrats today on some of the public affairs sunday morning programs trying to keep that pressure on sondland. remember, this is an individual who already revised his closed door testimony once to clarify that there was in effect that quid pro quo or as democrats put it that offer or are pressure, that bribery that the president was trying to offer the president of ukraine and ukranian leadership, military aid in exchange for that investigation that they were pushing for of hunter biden and joe biden. gordon sondland of course the eu ambassador, ambassador from the united states to the european union. senator chris murphy was one person on tv this morning, democrat from connecticut, he put it like this, over the weekend sondland has to decide whether his primary loyalty is to america or to the president of the united states. but he did in fact c

let's go to mike viqueira at the white house with that. what's the latest, mike? >> reporter: alex, i think we can break down the republican defense of the president into a couple of different baskets. one is the process argument, that this has been unfair. we've heard that all along when they were in those secret meetings down in the basement, at least those closed meetings. and even after they emerged and seemingly gave the republicans what they wanted in terms of public hearings, they still are talking about the process and their inability to question the witnesses and raise some of the points that they want to raise and bring some of the witnesses that they want to raise. that's the first thing. the second thing is, they point out, hey, look, the military aid ended up going through and there was never an announcement by president zelensky that president trump supposedly wanted for that investigation into briz urisma, into hunter b and into joe biden, so there was no crime, you can't be talking about bribery. and the president is taking another tack this mornin

. >> nbc's mike viqueira is joining me from the white house. let's get more on what their positions are on each side, what they're staking out this sunday. >> reporter: there's an essential contradiction on the republican side, of course, alex. good afternoon to you. one of the principle arguments against this proceeding and in defense of the president is everything the democrats have put forward so far and everything we've heard from those witnesses in the first two days of testimony and, perhaps, in the next three days, three solid days in a row, tuesday, wednesday and thursday, of this coming week is that much of it is hearsay. yet at the same time, the administration has gone out of its way to try to bar those who do have firsthand knowledge of these conversations. and we're at the very center of this from testifying in front of congress. you see up on your screen, gordon sondland and lieutenant colonel vind vindman, tuesday at 9:00. gordon sondland, president trump's ambassador to the european union who was part of this rump group, the bac