CNN: Fiona Hill Studied Putin, Russia for Decades

Fiona Hill, a former top Russia expert for the White House and key witness in President Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings, has spent decades studying Russia and President Vladimir Putin, CNN reports.

Hill is set to testify Thursday before the House Intelligence Committee. She was Trump's point person on Ukraine and is a proxy for former National Security Adviser John Bolton as she reported to him directly.

Bolton, Hill said in private testimony before the impeachment proceedings, said Bolton told her to speak with NSC lawyer John Eisenberg and tell him Bolton was "not part of whatever drug deal (Gordon) Sondland and (Mick) Mulvaney are cooking up on this."

Sondland, who testified Wednesday, reportedly appeared to offer Ukrainians a quid pro quo.

"Amb. Sondland, in front of the Ukrainians, as I came in, was talking about how he had an agreement with chief of staff [Mick] Mulvaney for a meeting with the Ukrainians if they were going to go forward with investigations. And my director for Ukraine was looking completely alarmed. And I came in again as this discussion was underway," Hill said in her testimony.

Hill was a critical biographer of Putin and co-authored a number of books on Russia, including "Mr. Putin: Operative at the Kremlin."

She also did an 8-year stint at the Brookings Institution where she directed the Center on the U.S. and Europe.

• Amb. Gordon Sondland's Opening Statement at House Impeachment Hearing
• Trump: I Wanted 'Nothing' From Ukraine