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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2019/nov/20/donald-trump-news-today-live-impeachment-hearings-gordon-sondland-ukraine-republicans-latest-updates
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| Impeachment hearings: Sondland says quid pro quo was pushed by Giuliani and ordered by Trump - live | Impeachment hearings: Sondland says quid pro quo was pushed by Giuliani and ordered by Trump - live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The US ambassador to the EU has delivered bombshell testimony that deals serious blows to Trump’s defense of his role on Ukraine | The US ambassador to the EU has delivered bombshell testimony that deals serious blows to Trump’s defense of his role on Ukraine |
| Here Giuliani gives voice to what a lot of people are thinking (that sounds Trumpian doesn’t it?) – although apart from Giuliani it’s mostly critics of Trump who are saying it: Steve Castor, the lawyer for the Republicans, is not having the strongest day. | |
| Giuliani tweets that Castor “doesn’t do his own research and preparation”: | |
| Republican Jim Jordan gets his turn early. He’s off and running/yelling. His argument is that because there was never a deliverable – a White House meeting – that means was never an attempt to procure a deliverable, the so-called quid pro quo. As if it’s not possible that the attempted deal dissolved under light of the impeachment inquiry. He is making the argument at volume. | |
| Sondland is asked whether he believes the president does not give a “fig” – Sondland is quoted elsewhere saying “shit” – about Ukraine: | |
| “I think that’s too strong,” Sondland says. “The president was down on Ukraine for the reasons mentioned and would need a lot of convincing.” | |
| Democrat Jim Himes now. He asks what Giuliani told Sondland to establish that he, Giuliani, was expressing the desires of Trump. Sondland says Volker told him that Giuliani spoke for Trump. | |
| Of course Trump himself told Zelenskiy to coordinate on investigations of Joe Biden with Giuliani. And he told all the amigos in the Oval Office on 23 May to “talk to Rudy.” | |
| We’re back. Republican John Ratcliffe is talking. He’s zeroing in on the bit of Sondland’s testimony in which he recounts a phone call in which Trump – after the whistleblower complaint had been filed – told Sondland he did not want a quid pro quo in Ukraine. | |
| The Department of Energy has issued a statement saying Sondland “misrepresented” both secretary Rick Perry’s interaction with Rudy Giuliani and “direction the Secretary received from President Trump.” It continues: | |
| On a notepad with the header “Aboard Air Force One”, Trump appears to have been transcribing Sondland’s testimony: | On a notepad with the header “Aboard Air Force One”, Trump appears to have been transcribing Sondland’s testimony: |
| When he was first asked about Trump’s 25 July call with Zelenskiy, which he was listening to, secretary of state Mike Pompeo feigned ignorance of the call. | When he was first asked about Trump’s 25 July call with Zelenskiy, which he was listening to, secretary of state Mike Pompeo feigned ignorance of the call. |
| Pompeo has just professed ignorance of testimony by Sondland, who read emails revealing that Pompeo was in the loop on the Ukraine plot: | Pompeo has just professed ignorance of testimony by Sondland, who read emails revealing that Pompeo was in the loop on the Ukraine plot: |
| They’re in recess for lunch. | They’re in recess for lunch. |
| Further video: | Further video: |
| “I wasn’t into investigating the Bidens,” Sondland says. “It was very surprising to me” to discover that that’s what Trump was after, he says. | “I wasn’t into investigating the Bidens,” Sondland says. “It was very surprising to me” to discover that that’s what Trump was after, he says. |
| Castor, the Republican lawyer, seems to keep finding way for Sondland to make points that seem bad for Trump – and explode the Republican argument that the Bidens’ conduct in Ukraine warranted investigation. | Castor, the Republican lawyer, seems to keep finding way for Sondland to make points that seem bad for Trump – and explode the Republican argument that the Bidens’ conduct in Ukraine warranted investigation. |
| Nunes hands off to Castor, the Republican lawyer. | Nunes hands off to Castor, the Republican lawyer. |
| “I’ll try not to use all of this time as a courtesy to you,” Castor says. Very fine of him. | “I’ll try not to use all of this time as a courtesy to you,” Castor says. Very fine of him. |
| Video of a key moment: | Video of a key moment: |
| Nunes is back. He restrains himself from complaining about the extra time block for himself and Schiff. | Nunes is back. He restrains himself from complaining about the extra time block for himself and Schiff. |
| Nunes is teasing Sondland out on the point that he, Sondland, did not know for sure why the military aid was withheld. | Nunes is teasing Sondland out on the point that he, Sondland, did not know for sure why the military aid was withheld. |
| Nunes blasts the Democrats for “their Watergate fantasies – I guess they fantasize about this at night.” | Nunes blasts the Democrats for “their Watergate fantasies – I guess they fantasize about this at night.” |
| Reminder: there’s a Democratic presidential debate tonight. My colleague @joanegreve will be covering it live, tune in if you can! | Reminder: there’s a Democratic presidential debate tonight. My colleague @joanegreve will be covering it live, tune in if you can! |
| Here’s a better picture of the president’s notes: | Here’s a better picture of the president’s notes: |
| The one independent in the House, a Republican before his party’s embrace of Trump drove him out: | The one independent in the House, a Republican before his party’s embrace of Trump drove him out: |