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| Impeachment inquiry: Sondland expected to implicate Trump – live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The US ambassador to the EU, who has already had to revise previous testimony, could offer firsthand account of president’s role on Ukraine | The US ambassador to the EU, who has already had to revise previous testimony, could offer firsthand account of president’s role on Ukraine |
| ‘Was there a quid pro quo?... The answer is yes’ | |
| More text is emerging from Sondland’s statement. | |
| Sondland will reportedly point his finger directly at Trump: | |
| Sondland “plans to show up for his televised hearing with reams of new text messages and emails he said prove the highest levels of the White House and the State Department were in on it,” NBC News reports from an apparent copy of the ambassador’s opening statement: | |
| That sounds potentially devastating to the White House case. In any case it directly contradicts the extremely careful testimony of diplomats yesterday about who knew what when. | |
| With so many witnesses describing Sondland speaking with the president and pressuring Ukraine to announce investigations on multiple occasions, it might seem difficult for Sondland to deny his role in the alleged plot. | |
| Sondland’s strategy: blame Rudy. | |
| That’s according to a Daily Beast report apparently based on the opening statement Sondland is about to deliver. From the statement according to the Beast: | |
| Sondland will also say that Trump wanted what Giuliani was asking for, according to the Beast: | |
| That does not sound much like Sondland trying very hard to protect the president. We’ll see what else he says. | |
| The hearing is scheduled to begin in about 15 minutes, at which time the video player atop the blog here will be bringing you all the action. | |
| Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff has garnered some attention for his big finish yesterday evening, in which he summarized the case against the president. | Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff has garnered some attention for his big finish yesterday evening, in which he summarized the case against the president. |
| ICYMI: | ICYMI: |
| Sondland is not the only witness scheduled to speak before the House intelligence committee today. He will be followed this afternoon by Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia; and David Hale, under secretary of state for political affairs. | Sondland is not the only witness scheduled to speak before the House intelligence committee today. He will be followed this afternoon by Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia; and David Hale, under secretary of state for political affairs. |
| Cooper is expected to testify about the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine. Hale was expected to describe the failure of the state department to support Ukrainian ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, which he previously described as “most likely” the decision of secretary of state Mike Pompeo. | Cooper is expected to testify about the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine. Hale was expected to describe the failure of the state department to support Ukrainian ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, which he previously described as “most likely” the decision of secretary of state Mike Pompeo. |
| Donald Trump’s own words will take centre stage at the impeachment inquiry on Wednesday when his ambassador to the European Union faces questions about a phone call with the US president in a Ukrainian restaurant. | Donald Trump’s own words will take centre stage at the impeachment inquiry on Wednesday when his ambassador to the European Union faces questions about a phone call with the US president in a Ukrainian restaurant. |
| Gordon Sondland is the witness who most alarms officials at the White House, according to US media reports, fuelling speculation that the ambassador could plead the fifth amendment to protect himself from self-incrimination. | Gordon Sondland is the witness who most alarms officials at the White House, according to US media reports, fuelling speculation that the ambassador could plead the fifth amendment to protect himself from self-incrimination. |
| Along with the diplomat Kurt Volker and the energy secretary, Rick Perry, Sondland – a wealthy hotelier who donated $1m to Trump’s inaugural committee – was one of the so-called “three amigos” the Trump administration used to bypass normal state department channels to Ukraine. | Along with the diplomat Kurt Volker and the energy secretary, Rick Perry, Sondland – a wealthy hotelier who donated $1m to Trump’s inaugural committee – was one of the so-called “three amigos” the Trump administration used to bypass normal state department channels to Ukraine. |
| He has already changed his closed-door testimony to admit he told an aide to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that military aid would not be released until Kyiv announced an investigation into a gas company linked to the son of the former vice-president Joe Biden, a potential challenger to Trump in next year’s election. | He has already changed his closed-door testimony to admit he told an aide to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that military aid would not be released until Kyiv announced an investigation into a gas company linked to the son of the former vice-president Joe Biden, a potential challenger to Trump in next year’s election. |
| But even the revised statement failed to report that Sondland called Trump from a restaurant in Kyiv on 26 July and discussed “investigations”. The president was speaking loudly and the call was overheard by David Holmes, a political counsellor at the US embassy in Ukraine, according to testimony released this week. | But even the revised statement failed to report that Sondland called Trump from a restaurant in Kyiv on 26 July and discussed “investigations”. The president was speaking loudly and the call was overheard by David Holmes, a political counsellor at the US embassy in Ukraine, according to testimony released this week. |
| Read further: | Read further: |
| We had better get this out of the way before the hearing starts. | We had better get this out of the way before the hearing starts. |
| Happy birthday, Joe Biden! The father of Ukrainian gas company Burisma’s most infamous former board member is celebrating the conclusion of his 77th trip around the sun today. | Happy birthday, Joe Biden! The father of Ukrainian gas company Burisma’s most infamous former board member is celebrating the conclusion of his 77th trip around the sun today. |
| Hello and welcome to our live coverage of day four of the impeachment hearings. Today, Americans will come together and have an hours-long, nationally televised chat about The Gordon Problem. | Hello and welcome to our live coverage of day four of the impeachment hearings. Today, Americans will come together and have an hours-long, nationally televised chat about The Gordon Problem. |
| That’s how former National Security Council adviser Fiona Hill referred to Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union who played a key role in pressuring Ukrainians to announce investigations that could help Donald Trump win re-election in 2020, according to testimony. | That’s how former National Security Council adviser Fiona Hill referred to Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union who played a key role in pressuring Ukrainians to announce investigations that could help Donald Trump win re-election in 2020, according to testimony. |
| Sondland, the hotelier who got his job after he gave $1m to make the Trump inauguration beautiful, is scheduled to begin testifying this morning at 9am, in a day that has the White House worried and the Democrats banking on a breakthrough. | Sondland, the hotelier who got his job after he gave $1m to make the Trump inauguration beautiful, is scheduled to begin testifying this morning at 9am, in a day that has the White House worried and the Democrats banking on a breakthrough. |
| Why is Sondland’s testimony a big deal? Because he could testify that Trump was directly orchestrating the Ukraine plot, which amounted to an attempt by Trump to use the power of the presidency to keep himself in the presidency, his critics say. | Why is Sondland’s testimony a big deal? Because he could testify that Trump was directly orchestrating the Ukraine plot, which amounted to an attempt by Trump to use the power of the presidency to keep himself in the presidency, his critics say. |
| If that’s not impeachable, critics of the president’s conduct have asked, then what is? | If that’s not impeachable, critics of the president’s conduct have asked, then what is? |
| Sondland spoke on the phone regularly with Trump, according to other witnesses and his own previous testimony. One witness overheard Trump ask Sondland on the phone, “So he’s going to do the investigation?” and heard Sondland reply, “He’s going to do it,” adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will quote, “Do anything you ask him to.” | Sondland spoke on the phone regularly with Trump, according to other witnesses and his own previous testimony. One witness overheard Trump ask Sondland on the phone, “So he’s going to do the investigation?” and heard Sondland reply, “He’s going to do it,” adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will quote, “Do anything you ask him to.” |
| Other witnesses have described Sondland pressuring the Ukrainians in multiple scenes, including at a 10 July White House meeting; on 25 July in advance of the phone call in which Trump himself pressured the Ukrainians; and on 1 September during bilateral meetings in Warsaw. | Other witnesses have described Sondland pressuring the Ukrainians in multiple scenes, including at a 10 July White House meeting; on 25 July in advance of the phone call in which Trump himself pressured the Ukrainians; and on 1 September during bilateral meetings in Warsaw. |
| One point of potential drama to look out for today: Sondland himself has changed his testimony, originally telling investigators that he took Trump at his word that there was no “quid pro quo” with Ukraine, but then admitting he had informed an adviser to Zelenskiy that no military aid was likely to flow without an announcement of investigations. Which Gordon will show up on Wednesday? | One point of potential drama to look out for today: Sondland himself has changed his testimony, originally telling investigators that he took Trump at his word that there was no “quid pro quo” with Ukraine, but then admitting he had informed an adviser to Zelenskiy that no military aid was likely to flow without an announcement of investigations. Which Gordon will show up on Wednesday? |
| There are so many questions. Is it true that Trump demanded that Zelenskiy say “investigations”, “Biden” and Clinton”, as witnesses have testified? Is it true that military aid specifically was on the line, and did the Ukrainians understand that, as witnesses have testified? Is it true that Trump did not “give a shit about Ukraine”, as witnesses etc? | There are so many questions. Is it true that Trump demanded that Zelenskiy say “investigations”, “Biden” and Clinton”, as witnesses have testified? Is it true that military aid specifically was on the line, and did the Ukrainians understand that, as witnesses have testified? Is it true that Trump did not “give a shit about Ukraine”, as witnesses etc? |
| Thanks for joining us. | Thanks for joining us. |