U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told the House Intelligence Committe on Wednesday that President Donald Trump told him that he wanted “nothing” from Ukraine and explicitly stated that Trump wanted “no quid pro quo.”
“I finally called the president, I believe it was on the 9th of September, I can’t find the records and [the State Department] won’t provide them to me, but I believe I just asked him an open-ended question, Mr. Chairman,” Sondland told House Intelligence Committe Chairman Adam Schiff.
Sondland told Schiff that he asked 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 short abrupt conversation, he was not in a good mood, and he just said, ‘I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing,’ something to that effect,” Sondland continued. “So I typed out a text to ambassador Taylor and my reason for telling him this was not to defend what the president was saying, not to opine on whether the president was being truthful or untruthful, but simply to relay I’ve gone as far as I can go. This is the final word that I heard from the president the United States.”
WATCH:
Doesn’t get much clearer than this.
Ambassador Sondland says, of President Trump:
“I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo.”
pic.twitter.com/eHu8DxBhs4— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) November 20, 2019
Later in the hearing, Sondland again confirmed to Schiff that Trump said “no quid pro quo,” saying, “President Trump, when I asked him the open ended question, as I testified previously, ‘What do you want from Ukraine,” his answer was, “I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing. That’s all I got from President Trump.”
WATCH:
Sondland again confirms Trump told him “no quid pro quo”https://t.co/jnzugebeT1 pic.twitter.com/UkgTd7aFOZ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 20, 2019
At another point in the hearing, Sondland told the Democrat counsel, “I don’t recall President Trump ever talking to me about any security assistance. Ever.”
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING → Ambassador Sondland: “I don’t recall President Trump ever talking to me about any security assistance. Ever.”
End this sham. pic.twitter.com/tsmQTO1fMX
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) November 20, 2019
Sondland continued, “I did not hear directly from President Trump that the aid would be held up until the statement was made. I did not hear those words.”
WATCH:
WATCH:
Ambassador Sondland: “I did not hear from President Trump that the aid would be held up until the statement was made. I did not hear those words.” pic.twitter.com/7j5ssQjqoK
— Mark Bednar (@MarkBednar) November 20, 2019
“Did the president ever tell you personally about any preconditions for anything?” Republican counsel Steve Castor asked.
“No,” Sondland responded.
“The president never you told about any preconditions for the aid to be released?” Castor continued.
“No,” Sondland responded.
“The president never told about any preconditions for a White House meeting?” Castor asked.
“Personally, no,” Sondland responded.
WATCH:
WATCH:
Did the President ever tell you personally about any preconditions for anything?
Sondland: “No”
The President never you told about any preconditions for the aid to be released?
“No”
The President never told about any preconditions for a WH meeting?
“Personally no” pic.twitter.com/uWtQMFkw8G
— Mark Bednar (@MarkBednar) November 20, 2019
Later in the hearing, Sondland told the Democratic counsel, “No one told me directly that the aid was tied to anything. I was presuming it was.”
WATCH:
Ambassador Gordon Sondland: “No one told me directly that the aid was tied to anything. I was presuming it was” pic.twitter.com/BjjKHqoReq
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 20, 2019