Acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor arrives on Capitol Hill before a closed-door hearing with members of Congress in Washington, U.S., October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House committees leading the impeachment probe of Republican President Donald Trump released a transcript on Wednesday of the deposition of Ambassador William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine.

Taylor’s testimony, delivered behind closed doors on Oct. 22, was considered some of the most damaging to the Trump administration to date, as he outlined how it was leveraging nearly $400 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation of the Republican president’s political rival.