Only the clicking of cameras broke the silence in Room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building when Bill Taylor and George Kent rose together to take their oath. 

Mr Taylor in a black suit, Mr Kent wearing his trademark bow tie, they stood alone not just before the few hundred people present but millions of Americans watching live on TV. 

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Right arms raised with hands facing the front, the pair were asked if they promised to tell "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth". "I do", they responded in unison. 

The path that had taken these two seasoned US diplomats, with more than 75 years of public service between them, to the first public impeachment hearing against Donald J Trump…

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