Thread by @kyledcheney

NEWS(!): Sondland to say definitively there was a quid pro quo for a White House meeting. “Was there a quid pro quo? The answer is yes.”

And this: “Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.” Mulvaney, Pompeo, Perry and others, he says.

politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

FULL SONDLAND STATEMENT: politico.com/f/?id=0000016e…

SONDLAND also plans to trash RUDY, but say he was forced to work with him because it was a "directive" from Trump.

"We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt ... So we followed the President’s orders."

politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

MORE ON RUDY: "Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit ... Giuliani was expressing the desires of the President of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the President."

politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

SONDLAND also indicates he told PENCE directly on Sept. 1 about his concerns military aid was being held up because of Trump/Giuliani's investigation demands.
politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

Full committee on hand

ALSO, Sondland affirms that he had a July 26 call with Trump. In fact, he says the White House affirmed the timing of the call as he prepared for this hearing.

Trump himself told reporters he had no knowledge of it.

politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

UNDER THE RADAR: Sondland also says that even Trump's July *call* with Zelensky was subject to a quid pro quo.

politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

NUNES opens the hearing by talking about the Russia investigation. No substantive response to Sondland testimony or any of the Ukraine saga.

HERE'S THE EMAIL Sondland says shows "a lot of senior officials" knew about the quid pro quo for a White House meeting.

politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

Nunes says Dems can't get traction for claim of "quid pro quo."

He's facing Gordon Sondland who plans to say "Was there a quid pro quo? ... The answer is yes." politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

GOP makes a formal request to subpoena Hunter Biden, his firm, the DNC and the whistleblower. These are assuredly non-starters.

Sondland sworn in.

Impeachment inquiry official confirms Sondland is testimony under subpoena, a maneuver several witnesses have leaned on to evade Trump administation directives not to cooperate.

"Again," Sondland says, "Everyone's in the loop." politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

"Everyone's in the loop"

"It was no secret"

"Thew knew what we were doing and why"

"There was no secret regarding ... the discussion of the investigations."

Shorter Sondland: Everyone knew.

politico.com/f/?id=0000016e…

Sondland goes off script to note that LISA KENNA was his conduit to Pompeo and says she would print out emails for Pompeo to read.

He then reads from an email he sent her about the statement for 2016/Burisma investigation. She said she'd pass to Pompeo. politico.com/news/2019/11/2…

Reminder that unlike other witnesses who Trump attacked, his only previous comment on Sondland was to praise him as a "really good man" and "great American."

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1181560708808486914

Sondland says he does NOT dispute Holmes' recollection that Trump doesn't "give a shit" about Ukraine and only cares about big stuff that benefits him personally.

"He made that clear in the May 23 meeting," Sondland says.

SONDLAND says Trump knew Sondland was on an unsecured cell phone when they talked on July 26. Sondland was in Kyiv and some aides worried his call could be monitored.

"He was aware that it was an open line as well.

SONDLAND says he and Trump swear a lot in their conversations.

"That's how president Trump and I communicate, a lot of four letter words."

Notable:

https://twitter.com/BresPolitico/status/1197178263887646728

Sondland continues to characterize his relationship with Trump: "I had occasional access when he chose to take my calls. Sometimes he would, sometimes he wouldn't."