This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

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

The article has changed 26 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 9 Version 10
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 UkraineThe US ambassador to the EU has delivered bombshell testimony that deals serious blows to Trump’s defense of his role on Ukraine
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.
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.
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:
Giuliani is defending himself on Twitter. He claims that Volker brought him in, as if he was not working, primarily and singularly, on Trump’s behalf.
In any case Volker testified that Giuliani asked him, Volker, to put him in touch with Zelenskiy’s aid.
Goldman: You’re now aware what the president wanted, the Biden investigation and a 2016 election investigation, is that right?
Sondland: That’s correct.
Goldman is walking Sondland through text messages and emails he has submitted demonstrating that secretary of state Mike Pompeo was looped in on the effort to engineer the quid pro quo.
A fish may rot from the head, but in this case, the Democrats are saying, the whole fish was rotten.
The notes Trump spoke from earlier outside the White House were visible to reporters. In Trump’s handwriting someone has written,
I want nothing.
I want nothing.
I want no quid pro quo.
That’s what he wrote?
The testimony is aligning. The official stance of the diplomats is, we thought that the drug deal we were negotiating was a dog deal, and when we learned it was about drugs we were shocked, appalled and we never would have agreed to that.
Schiff is nailing Sondland down on both Mick Mulvaney and Mike Pompeo knowing about the quid pro quo.
Schiff reminds the room that Mulvaney held a press conference saying aid was tied to investigations. Mulvaney later tried to walk that back.
Sondland saw a recording of the press conference. “He said yes it was” - the military aid was tied to investigations.
Schiff begins by pressing Sondland on his inability, for so long, to link Burisma and Biden. Giuliani was saying it on TV! Schiff says.
Sondland says he did not listen to what Giuliani was saying on TV because he was talking directly with Giuliani.
Schiff announces an extra 30-minute question period for the chairman, ranking member and lawyers.
Nunes won’t like that. And will Castor be able to fill it?
Castor finishes with an attack on Sondland, saying he didn’t take notes and testified that he did not recall a lot of things. Castor calls it a “trifecta” of unreliability.
Sondland says he has not had access to documents but he did have some texts which he read and his testimony was strengthened by others.
Sondland has just bristled at the notion that he was in some kind of “irregular channel” of US-Ukraine policy.
If the president himself was in the channel, Sondland asks, how is that the irregular one?
Concerns about the quid pro quo “were never raised,” Sondland says. “Everyone’s hair was on fire but no one decided to talk to us.”