Sondland Updates Impeachment Testimony, Describing Ukraine Quid Pro Quo
Source: New York Times
Michael S. Schmidt
By Michael S. Schmidt
Nov. 5, 2019
Updated 1:33 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON A critical witness in the impeachment inquiry offered Congress substantial new testimony this week, revealing that he told a top Ukrainian official that the country likely would not receive American military aid unless it publicly committed to investigations President Trump wanted.
The disclosure from Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, in four new pages of sworn testimony released on Tuesday, confirmed his involvement in essentially laying out a quid pro quo to Ukraine that he had previously not acknowledged.
The testimony offered several major new details beyond the account he gave the inquiry in a 10-hour interview last month. Mr. Sondland provided a more robust description of his own role in alerting the Ukrainians that they needed to go along with investigative requests being demanded by the presidents personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani. By early September, Mr. Sondland said, he had become convinced that military aid and a White House meeting were conditioned on Ukraine committing to those investigations.
Mr. Sondland had said in a text message exchange in early September with William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, that the president had been clear there was no quid pro quo between the aid and investigations of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., his son and other Democrats. But Mr. Sondland testified last month that he was only repeating what Mr. Trump had told him, leaving open the question of whether he believed the president. The new account suggested that Mr. Sondland may have not been completely forthcoming with Mr. Taylor, and that he was, in fact, aware that the aid was contingent upon the investigations.
In his updated testimony, Mr. Sondland recounted how he had discussed the linkage with Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, on the sidelines of a Sept. 1 meeting between Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Zelensky in Warsaw. Mr. Zelensky had discussed the suspension of aid with Mr. Pence, Mr. Sondland said.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/us/politics/impeachment-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
George II
(67,782 posts)KPN
(15,641 posts)NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)They're all dishonest crooks.
phandancer917
(145 posts)...he is trying to stay out of jail and stay rich.
Good luck asshole!
Submariner
(12,502 posts)patphil
(6,158 posts)engaged in a little butt covering.
I think his original testimony was deliberately designed to muddy the waters and defuse the whole QPQ problem.
Now we shall see how Trump feels about his man Sondland's new position.
He'll probably say he doesn't know him, and has his picture taken with a lot of people.
Patrick Phillips
yaesu
(8,020 posts)groundloop
(11,517 posts)I've said this for a long time..... IT'S EXTORTION!
SAY IT AGAIN - EXTORTION.
quid pro quo implies two parties doing favors for each other, that's not the case here. tRump was withholding aid (which had been approved by Congress) and rightfully belonged to Ukraine, in exchange for Ukraine doing dirty work for dirty donnie's campaign. THAT'S EXTORTION.
ffr
(22,665 posts)Forget the Latin. It's Extortion, it's Bribery. Spelled out in the Constitution as an impeachable offense.
gibraltar72
(7,500 posts)Delphinus
(11,829 posts)deposition now and am amazed by the whining of the repukes at the beginning.
groundloop
(11,517 posts)Hmmmmmmm.........
NBachers
(17,096 posts)kairos12
(12,849 posts)Fritz Walter
(4,291 posts)The rat-fuckery just went into overdrive.
And what perfect timing: with elections going on today across the country!
ffr
(22,665 posts)Oh my word!
We'll need to speak to you too now.
DavidDvorkin
(19,473 posts)Duppers
(28,117 posts)Liar.
...meeting between Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Zelensky in Warsaw. Mr. Zelensky had discussed the suspension of aid with Mr. Pence, Mr. Sondland said.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)I like it.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,836 posts)He said squid Go Pro - Donald Trump