Impeachment Today: Everybody Was in on the Quid Pro Quo
On his third attempt at providing testimony, Gordon Sondland came clean, while trying to present himself as an accidental tourist in caught up in a continuum in which more conditions continued to be added to the Ukrainians’ ability to secure a White House meeting.
Along the way, he threw most of his colleagues under the bus. Secretary of State Pompeo (who is reportedly leaving) was mentioned 19 times. Presidential lawyer Rudy Giuliani got 31 mentions. And everybody, from the Vice President to Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to Energy Secretary Rick Perry was in on the deal.
Sondland:
“Was there a quid pro quo? The answer is yes.”
“Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.”
Saying he does not regularly take notes and that the State Department has not given him access to all of his phone records and emails, Sondland acknowledged that his memory “has not been perfect”.
Sondland testified that there weren't two channels involved in Ukraine diplomacy, regular and irregular. There was in fact one channel, he said, directed by the president and known to everyone around him, ordering the quid pro quo.
https://twitter.com/DrDenaGrayson/status/1197165159028006913?s=20
https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1197184002001657857?s=20
Republican reaction as the hearing goes to recess...
https://twitter.com/tomwatson/status/1197186961229959168?s=20
This afternoon...
Laura Cooper, Pentagon official (her closed-door testimony was stormed by Matt Gaetz and 30 more Republicans)
David Hale, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (3rd ranking official in State Department)
I'll have more updates throughout the day....
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