This is CNN Breaking News.

Welcome to the lead. I'm Jake Tapper and we indeed begin with Breaking News.

Two sources present at the Tuesday deposition of White House National Security Council

staff for lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman tell me that Vindman told

congressional investigators that he became convinced that President Trump personally was ordering the withholding

of $400 million in aid for Ukraine as a way of forcing Ukrainian President Zelensky

to publicly announce an investigation into the Biden's.

Vindman said the existence of a quid pro quo had been clear to him by July 10th.

That's when U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sonland, something of a point man on the Ukraine situation,

told Ukrainian officials in a meeting at the White House that they would need to deliver, quote,

specific investigations in order to secure the White House meeting they so desired

with President Trump.

Now that's according to Vindman's opening statement that was reported yesterday, but the fact

that the $400 million in aid, including that desperately needed

military assistance to beat back the Russians, that was also being used by the

president. That didn't become clear until the next month

Vindman testified yesterday

and uh... after then national security advisor john Bolton

told vindman to prepare a decision memo

by august fifteen for b for Bolton and other senior administration

officials to present as a Trump administration-wide interagency argument to

President Trump to release the assistant funds to Ukraine as soon as possible.

...