Donald Trump’s ally changes story and admits Ukraine quid pro quo
Gordon Sondland returns to impeachment inquiry with new testimony
An ally of Donald Trump has altered his testimony to the impeachment inquiry to confirm that the US president offered Ukraine a quid pro quo to investigate a political rival.
In a revision described by The Guardian as “dramatic”, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, said he told a senior official in Ukraine that nearly $400m in military aid would probably be withheld until the country announced an investigation into allegations about a gas company with ties to the former vice-president Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
The 375-page transcript of Sondland's 17 October deposition was released yesterday with an additional three-page declaration from Sondland, along with a letter from his attorney dated 4 November, at the end.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sondland originally told investigators there was never a quid pro quo attaching aid or a White House visit to investigations. However, after subsequent witness appearances, Sondland returned with lawyers to Capitol Hill to “review” his testimony in a move described as “striking” by Time.
Sondland said he remembered a conversation on 1 September, 2019, in Warsaw with Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
He recalled in his updated evidence: “I said that resumption of the US aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anticorruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Democrats have seized on the news. Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, wrote on Twitter: “Nobody can pretend there’s any lingering debate over what happened. It’s over. Open and shut. Today, the one guy who said there wasn’t a corrupt aid-for-interference deal, changed his story to say that in fact, there was an aid-for-interference deal.”
Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, wrote in USA Today: “This is about more than just one call. We now know that the call was just one piece of a larger operation to redirect our foreign policy to benefit Donald Trump's personal and political interests, not the national interest.”
The US president is accused of withholding military aid to Ukraine to coerce Zelensky into investigating Biden and his son Hunter over unsubstantiated corruption charges.
Trump has repeatedly denied that military aid was tied to an investigation of Biden. In response to the Sondland transcripts, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said they “show there is even less evidence for this illegitimate impeachment sham than previously thought”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 16, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - sleepyhead, little people, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans trying to change Nebraska's Electoral College vote?
Today's Big Question It's a chance for Donald Trump to block Joe Biden's path to re-election
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging
Speed Read Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
To win the election, Trump is changing how elections are run
Under The Radar While the former president campaigns for a second term in office, he and his team have quietly been working to tilt the nation's electoral rules in his favor.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Is it time to end arms sales to Israel?
Today's Big Question Democrats urge restrictions following World Kitchen convoy deaths
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'What a difference a judge makes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'For employers and their workers, welcome to a minefield'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published