India, Nov. 21 -- Fiona Hill, a former Russia expert on the US National Security Council, warned Republicans Thursday against promoting the "fictional narrative" that Russia did not meddle in the 2016 US elections, Ukraine did, as President Donald Trump's defenders have sought to portray in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Hill was among the two witnesses who testified before the house intelligence committee, which is conducting the first leg of the impeachment inquiry against Trump, on the final day of the scheduled public hearings so far. The other was state department official posted to the embassy in Kyiv, David Homes.

"Some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign a...