When Sondland testfies, I want to know how he called Trump, through WHSR or directly on a Trump cell phone. I also hope someone will ask him how many times they called each other. THREAD
The substance of what Sondland reported to Trump from his luncheon in Kyiv is of course most shocking & rightfully driving news. The very act, however, was also shocking. Ambassadors rarely call presidents directly. That usually happens only during a major crisis.
Normally, ambassadors are calling people like Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretaries. Sometimes Assistant Secretaries. Rarely Secretaries of State. I wonder how many times Obama or Bush ambos to EU called SecState or Potus?
By the time I became the U.S. ambassador to Russia in 2012, I knew Obama well. I had worked for 2 years on his campaign, 3 years at the WH, (played basketball and football with him!), but never ONCE called him directly, one-on-one, while serving in Moscow.
That Trump got on the phone with Sondland in Kyiv, just the day after Trump had called Zelensky, shows how engaged and interested Trump personally was in operationalizing his his quid pro quo.
Eager to hear Sondland's testimony ! END THREAD.
