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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 updates | Impeachment hearings: Sondland says quid pro quo was pushed by Giuliani and ordered by Trump - live updates |
| (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 |
| We’re advised that Cooper and Hale will begin testifying at approximately 5pm ET. | |
| whooopsie | |
| Here’s video of Schiff closing: | |
| Everyone (on Twitter) is raving about this new Kamala Harris ad. Let’s have a gander: | |
| It does have snap, doesn’t it? | |
| The drama continues: Will Sondland make his flight to Brussels? His lawyer had asked Schiff to make the lunchbreak short so Sondland could return to post. | |
| Elsewhere... | |
| A former prosecutor summarizes: | |
| Schiff adjourns and like yesterday, there’s applause in the room. | |
| We’ll let you know as soon as we find out when round two starts. | |
| Schiff continues: | |
| “There’s no mistaking what Donald Trump’s interest was. There’s no mistaking... when the president said investigation, he meant Biden. He made that abundantly clear to the president of Ukraine...” | |
| The question is, what are we prepared to do about it? Is there any accountability? Or are we forced to conclude that this is just now the world we live in? | |
| Schiff: “I have said a lot of things about president Trump over the years... I do not believe that the president would allow himself to be led by the nose... I think the president was the one who decided whether the meeting would happen, whether the aid would be lifted. Not anyone below him.... | |
| “My colleagues seem to think that unless the president says the words, ‘I hereby bribe the Ukrainians,’ then there’s no evidence of bribery,” Schiff continues. | |
| Then he turns to the 25 July call summary and reads Trump’s words. | |
| Schiff continues reading from Sondland: | Schiff continues reading from Sondland: |
| “Secretary Pompeo replied, “Yes,” Schiff notes. “Not ‘issues of importance to the Potus,’ not ‘what are you talking about?’” | “Secretary Pompeo replied, “Yes,” Schiff notes. “Not ‘issues of importance to the Potus,’ not ‘what are you talking about?’” |
| Pompeo was on the 25 July call, so he “knew what issues were importance to Potus,” Schiff says. | Pompeo was on the 25 July call, so he “knew what issues were importance to Potus,” Schiff says. |
| “This is a seminal moment in our investigation,” Schiff says. The revelations were “significant and troubling,” Schiff says. | “This is a seminal moment in our investigation,” Schiff says. The revelations were “significant and troubling,” Schiff says. |
| Then Schiff quotes these passages from Sondland’s opening statement: | Then Schiff quotes these passages from Sondland’s opening statement: |
| “So much for the Ukrainians didn’t know,” Schiff says. “You testified today, ambassador, the Ukrainians knew.” | “So much for the Ukrainians didn’t know,” Schiff says. “You testified today, ambassador, the Ukrainians knew.” |
| Nunes is up first. “Once again the Democrats have seen the preposterous failure of their conspiracy theory,” he says. | Nunes is up first. “Once again the Democrats have seen the preposterous failure of their conspiracy theory,” he says. |
| Nunes notes that Democrats have said Sondland’s other two amigos – Rick Perry and Kurt Volker – have left him behind. | Nunes notes that Democrats have said Sondland’s other two amigos – Rick Perry and Kurt Volker – have left him behind. |
| “I lost my amigos?” Sondland says. | “I lost my amigos?” Sondland says. |
| “Not from us. Not from us,” says Nunes. | “Not from us. Not from us,” says Nunes. |
| But the Republicans have attacked Sondland today as a faulty witness and challenged his judgment that he was part of a broadly vested effort to extract a quid for a quo in Ukraine. | But the Republicans have attacked Sondland today as a faulty witness and challenged his judgment that he was part of a broadly vested effort to extract a quid for a quo in Ukraine. |
| Then Nunes, reliable as the sun, returns to the question of the identity of the whistleblower. | Then Nunes, reliable as the sun, returns to the question of the identity of the whistleblower. |
| And a late-stage zinger from Sondland. Krishnamoorthi notes he had been referred to by NSC officials as “the Gordon problem.” | And a late-stage zinger from Sondland. Krishnamoorthi notes he had been referred to by NSC officials as “the Gordon problem.” |
| “That’s what my wife calls me,” Sondland said, to ready laughter. “Maybe they’re talking. Should I be worried?” | “That’s what my wife calls me,” Sondland said, to ready laughter. “Maybe they’re talking. Should I be worried?” |
| Here’s the last scheduled questioner, Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. Then we should have closing statements, and learn about this afternoon’s further schedule. | Here’s the last scheduled questioner, Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. Then we should have closing statements, and learn about this afternoon’s further schedule. |
| Democrat Sean Maloney is up. It’s another applause moment in the gallery. Maloney presses Sondland to admit that an investigation of Biden would help Trump. Sondland keeps trying to derail the question by pointing out that he has testified that while Trump brought up “investigations” he did not bring up the Bidens. | Democrat Sean Maloney is up. It’s another applause moment in the gallery. Maloney presses Sondland to admit that an investigation of Biden would help Trump. Sondland keeps trying to derail the question by pointing out that he has testified that while Trump brought up “investigations” he did not bring up the Bidens. |
| Maloney gets Sondland to admit an investigation of the Bidens would help Trump, and kind of makes fun of Sondland for taking so long to say so. Then Sondland makes a mistake, taking offense to any suggestion that he has been less than forthright. | Maloney gets Sondland to admit an investigation of the Bidens would help Trump, and kind of makes fun of Sondland for taking so long to say so. Then Sondland makes a mistake, taking offense to any suggestion that he has been less than forthright. |
| Maloney levels him: | Maloney levels him: |
| “Fair enough, you’ve been very forthright. This is your third try to do it,” Maloney says. Sondland testified, revised his original testimony, and now is testifying again. | “Fair enough, you’ve been very forthright. This is your third try to do it,” Maloney says. Sondland testified, revised his original testimony, and now is testifying again. |
| “All due respect sir, we appreciate your candor, but let’s be really clear what it took to get it out of you,” says Maloney. | “All due respect sir, we appreciate your candor, but let’s be really clear what it took to get it out of you,” says Maloney. |
| Here’s part of the exchange: | Here’s part of the exchange: |
| Q: Who would benefit from an investigation of the president’s political opponent? | Q: Who would benefit from an investigation of the president’s political opponent? |
| Sondland says that’s a hypothetical. | Sondland says that’s a hypothetical. |
| “It’s not a hypothetical, is it sir?” Maloney says. “Who would benefit from an investigation of the Bidens?” Maloney presses. | “It’s not a hypothetical, is it sir?” Maloney says. “Who would benefit from an investigation of the Bidens?” Maloney presses. |
| “I assume president Trump would benefit,” Sondland says. | “I assume president Trump would benefit,” Sondland says. |
| “There we have it, see,” says Maloney, to applause and laughter. “Didn’t hurt a bit, did it?” | “There we have it, see,” says Maloney, to applause and laughter. “Didn’t hurt a bit, did it?” |
| Then Sondland makes a mistake: “I have been very forthright,” he says. | Then Sondland makes a mistake: “I have been very forthright,” he says. |
| Sondland: | Sondland: |
| “I would have preferred... that the president simply met with Mr Zelenskiy right away. Our assessment of Mr Zelenskiy was that he and the president would get on famously. He was smart, he was funny...” | “I would have preferred... that the president simply met with Mr Zelenskiy right away. Our assessment of Mr Zelenskiy was that he and the president would get on famously. He was smart, he was funny...” |
| But the meeting did not happen. | But the meeting did not happen. |