BREAKING: Sondland will say in his opening statement today that he and Giuliani worked "at the express direction of the President of the United States" and that Giuliani's request for Ukrainian investigations amounted to "a quid pro quo."
The statement is 23 pages long.
The statement is 23 pages long.
"We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani," Sondland will say. "Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt. We all understood that if we refused to work with Mr. Giuliani, we would lose an important opportunity...So we followed the president’s orders."
Sondland will throw Giuliani under the bus big time.
"We weren’t happy...We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani. I believed then, as I do now, that the men and women of the State Department, not the president’s personal lawyer, should take responsibility for Ukraine matters."
"We weren’t happy...We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani. I believed then, as I do now, that the men and women of the State Department, not the president’s personal lawyer, should take responsibility for Ukraine matters."
Sondland will also confirm that he kept Pompeo, Bolton and other State Department and National Security Council brass in the loop at all times, and has attached email correspondence to his statement backing that up.
"They knew what we were doing and why," Sondland will say.
"They knew what we were doing and why," Sondland will say.
🚨🚨 Sondland confirms he spoke with Trump on July 26 and says he has "no reason to doubt" David Holmes' account of the call.
"The president likes to use colorful language," Sondland says. "I would have been more surprised if President Trump had not mentioned investigations."
"The president likes to use colorful language," Sondland says. "I would have been more surprised if President Trump had not mentioned investigations."
Sondland will stress there was "a quid pro quo" directed by Trump, as it related to a White House meeting for Zelensky.
He said everyone knew this, including Pompeo and Mulvaney, who were informed in a July 19 email.
"Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret," Sondland says.
He said everyone knew this, including Pompeo and Mulvaney, who were informed in a July 19 email.
"Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret," Sondland says.
Sondland says the Ukrainians were aware of this as well, citing this Aug. 10 text message from Andriy Yermak, Zelensky top adviser.
Sondland says he was never able to get "a clear answer" for why the U.S. aid was held up.
However, Sondland says Ukrainians knew about the aid freeze by Sept. 1: "I came to the conclusion that the aid, like the White House visit, was jeopardized" and part of the "quid pro quo."
However, Sondland says Ukrainians knew about the aid freeze by Sept. 1: "I came to the conclusion that the aid, like the White House visit, was jeopardized" and part of the "quid pro quo."
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