Amb Gordon Sondland: “I’ve Never Heard From President Trump That The Aid Was Conditioned” On Investigations

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United States Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, testified Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee amid Democrats’ impeachment inquiry hearings against President Trump.

During a line of questioning from Democratic and Republican counsel, Sondland specifically admitted that he “never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on an announcement”, pertaining to reported Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election and Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma.

“I never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on an announcement of elections,” Ambassador Sondland directly told Democratic counsel Daniel Goldman.

Asked by Goldman, “So you never heard those specific words,” Sondland confirmed, “Correct. I never heard those words.” Goldman abruptly moved on to the next question afterward.

In another line of questioning from Goldman, Sondland confirmed: “I don’t recall President Trump ever talking to me about any security assistance, ever.”

When asked by Republican counsel Steve Castor, Sondland confirmed yet again that he was “never told about any preconditions for aid, a White House meeting based on conditions, nor having any official government documents or records to tie the President to any of this.” (Continued Below)

Gordon Sondland also told House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), that he openly asked President Trump, “What do you want from Ukraine? I keep hearing all these different ideas and theories and this and that. What do you want? It was a very abrupt, short conversation. He was not in a good mood, and he said, ‘I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing.'”

(Related: Rep Stewart Slams Vindman Over His Assertion That Trump’s Request Was A “Demand: “I Think It’s Nonsense”)

Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Mark Meadows (R-NC) took to Twitter to point out some key takeaways from Sondland’s testimony. (Video Below)

Rep. Andy Biggs wrote, “President Trump never told Sondland that the aid was conditioned on investigations. The idea that the White House meeting was conditioned on investigation came from Giuliani only, not Trump. Sondland also thought a phone call with Trump was a quid pro quo for investigations and was clearly wrong about it. Sondland says everyone knew about demand for investigations, but others have testified no quid pro quo and no bribery.”

Rep. Mark Meadows tweeted, “The most important quote out of this hearing so far: Sondland: ‘I’ve never heard from President Trump that the aid was conditioned on the investigations.’ He reached this conclusion on his own. So, in short, yet another witness who can’t testify to the Democrats’ accusations.”

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(Related: Rep. Biggs Points Out Three Key Takeaways From Volker’s Testimony That Should End “The Ballgame”)