Thread by @MattMackowiak

Statement from @PeteSessions that I am releasing:

“Today there was information about an indictment released by SDNY and I have read it. There has been a suggestion that I am ‘Congressman One’, which I cannot confirm.

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@PeteSessions However, I will vigorously defend myself against any allegations of wrongdoing.

As it relates to my role as a member of Congress and a candidate in 2018, the most important sentence in the indictment is this:

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@PeteSessions ‘The defendants concealed the scheme from the candidates, campaigns and federal regulators’.

Therefore, if I am ‘Congressman One’, I could not have had any knowledge of the scheme described in the indictment or have involvement or coordination of it.

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@PeteSessions I was first approached by these individuals for a meeting about the strategic need for Ukraine to become energy independent. There was no request in that meeting and I took no action. Over time, I recall that there were a couple additional meetings.

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@PeteSessions Again, at no time did I take any official action after these meetings.

Separately, after several congressional colleagues reported to me that the current US Ambassador to Ukraine was disparaging President Trump to others as part of those official duties ...

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@PeteSessions ... I wrote a letter to the Secretary of State to refer this matter directly.

My entire motivation for sending the letter was that I believe that political appointees should not be disparaging the President, especially while serving overseas.

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@PeteSessions I have been friends with Rudy Giuliani for more than 30 years. I do not know what his business or legal activities in Ukraine have been.”

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