"Oh, that's very different."
"Never mind."
Posted on 11/20/2019 7:27:46 AM PST by pilgrim
“At all times, I was acting in good faith,” Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland told Congress in his opening statement at Wednesday’s hearing of the House intelligence committee:
“As a presidential appointee, I followed the directions of the president. We worked with Mr. Giuliani because the President directed us to do so. We had no desire to set any conditions on the Ukrainians.”
But Giuliani did set conditions, Sondland said in his statement.
On the question, was there a quid pro quo? Sondland answered, “yes.”
“As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”
Sondland said Giuliani told Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Ambassador Kurt Volker and others “that President Trump wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election.
“Mr. Giuliani expressed those requests directly to the Ukrainians. Mr. Giuliani also expressed those requests directly to us. We all understood that these prerequisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.”
Sondland said his personal view, which he “shared repeatedly with others,” was that the White House meeting and military assistance should have proceeded without preconditions.
“Our only interest was to advance longstanding U.S. policy and to support Ukraine’s fragile democracy.” Sondland said he learned “in July and August” that the White House had suspended security aid to Ukraine:
“I was adamantly opposed to any suspension of aid,” he said. “I tried diligently to ask why the aid was suspended, but I never received a clear answer. In the absence of any credible explanation for the suspension of aid, I later came to believe that the resumption of security aid would not occur until there was a public statement from Ukraine committing to the investigations of the 2016 election and Burisma, as Mr. Giuliani had demanded.
“I shared concerns of the potential quid pro quo regarding the security aid with Senator Ron Johnson. And I also shared my concerns with the Ukrainians,” Sondland said.
Sondland also described President Trump’s skepticism toward Ukraine: “He expressed concerns that the Ukrainian government was not serious about reform. He even mentioned that Ukraine tried to take him down in the last election.”
Sondland confirmed he made a call to President Trump from a Kiev restaurant on July 26.
“I remember I was at a restaurant in Kiev, and I have no reason to doubt that this conversation included the subject of investigations.”
Sondland said he knew that investigations were “important to President Trump.”
However, Sondland said he has no recollection of discussing the Bidens on that phone call. He did not dispute other witness accounts of the call, which Trump said he does not remember.
“I know nothing about that,” Trump told a news conference on Nov. 13.
"Oh, that's very different."
"Never mind."
Who cares what he was opposed to. He’s not the President.
It looks like he’s pulling a reverse Frank Pentangeli.
The most frustrating part of all of this is that even if Trump did everything that he’s being accused of...
...EVERYTHING...
There’s NOTHING WRONG with what he did or said.
He is perfectly within his rights as president to request an investigation into corruption — no matter WHO the offenders are — and perfectly within his right to hold taxpayer monies until his demands are met.
This is infuriating.
I hope you are right but this testimony seems pretty daming. I would hope people suggest this is not a crime etc. That would make the best sense to fight this.
I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe.
This entire s**t-show is focused on what people THINK was said or done, when there’s a TRANSCRIPT of what was said and done.
And why would Pres. Trump worry about Biden being nominated anyway? Given the rigors of campaigning, by November it would be a matter of beating Jill Biden.
“Quid pro quo” isn’t a crime, as you said.
The Donkeys suffer from cerebral constipation, but Eric Fartwell has demonstrated the proper technique for relief of this malady.
Saying that he doesn’t recall is not exactly a denial.
Has he been asked if he’d been in contact with Bush or Rice recently?
Re: the unsecured phone call”
In other words, “He ain’t as smart as he thinks he is?”
So, how long has Sondland been a Republican? How often did he contribute ‘large sums’ to Republicans? He’s from OREGON. I have family on the left side of the Cascades. They are, as are most on that side, hard core Leftists. I realize the right side of the Cascades is more Conservative. I am just wondering if he was/is a plant. Did he ask to be the Ambassador to the EU? Wondering where he gets his animus toward Trump. Even Trump’s enemies who have already testified have said there was no QPQ or bribery.
Neither is it a confirmation.
They only need a majority to bar him from holding public office.
The usual screaming head are ignoring the 4 fatal words in order to hype this lie.
“In his personal view”
That right there makes it meaningless noise.
The only thing missing is a crime.
Exactly.
Sojndland later testified that Trump told him, “No quid pro quo.”
So it all makes no sense. Another nothingburger.
So let me understand this.
There is a written signed law ( by Clinton) that the 2 countries would investigate corruption
Trump follows that law and wants an assurance from a guy who ran against corruption. Doesn’t matter what intermediaries convey that message
Therefore doing the right this is a nefarious “ quid pro quo”
I hope Nunes or Jordan rips him and the Dems on this very point...
Oh good, we’re going to treated to your pearl clutching all day!
How often do we have to go through this sh*t with you and the other Nervous Nellies?
It’s going to be a long day!
“The most frustrating part of all of this is that even if Trump did everything that he’s being accused of...”
But if Trump is proven to have lied about anything isn’t that a bad thing for him?
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