#Sondland testimony

[mariacallous]

In a new book, the former US ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland defends his conduct around Donald Trump’s first impeachment, derides Democrats for their investigation of Trump’s attempt to extract political dirt from Ukraine – and calls his former boss a narcissist and a “dick”.

Sondland also takes aim at Mike Pompeo, Trump’s secretary of state, who is now a potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Sondland criticizes Pompeo for firing him over his impeachment testimony and allegedly reneging on a promise to pay his legal fees. Sondland also hits Pompeo for not inviting Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, to Washington but inviting the Russian foreign minister twice.

Sondland, a hotelier, donated $1m to Trump after the 2016 election and became EU ambassador two years later. His memoir, The Envoy: Mastering the Art of Diplomacy with Trump and the World – “pause here to allow 10,000 career diplomats to roll their eyes”, the Washington Post quipped in May – will be published on 25 October. The Guardian obtained a copy.

Retelling Trump’s first impeachment, Sondland describes efforts to push Ukraine to investigate Trump’s enemies, including the role of Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney.

He rejects criticism from the whistleblower, Alexander Vindman, and ex-Trump advisers John Bolton and Fiona Hill, who in her own impeachment testimony famously said Bolton, the national security adviser, mentioned Sondland was helping to “cook up” a “drug deal” regarding Ukraine.

In testimony, Sondland described Trump’s attempted quid pro quo: a White House visit for Zelenskiy and the release of military aid in return for investigations of targets including Joe and Hunter Biden.

Sondland now insists there was nothing unusual about this, writing “Quid pro quos happen all the time” and quoting – bizarrely – as evidence both the comedian Jerry Seinfeld and “studies that show when married men pitch in and clean the bathroom, they have more sex”.

But his testimony earned the ire of Trump loyalists including Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, who Sondland suspects may have told Pompeo to fire him.

As for Pompeo, “I knew that the second I had mentioned the secretary’s name in my testimony, he would be pissed that I had dragged him in. But for me to have testified in any other way would have amounted to a series of false statements. Once I made clear Pompeo’s knowledge of what was going on related to Ukraine, I surmise the secretary … wanted me out.”

Discussing his time as ambassador, Sondland says Trump was “essentially right about many things, including how out of whack our relationship with Europe has become”.

But he also attributes Trump’s shortcomings as a leader, including an “inability to clearly explain things”, to factors including his narcissism. On that score, Sondland describes reminding Trump in 2016 that “you were kind of a dick to me when we first met”. Trump, he says, said he hadn’t thought Sondland important enough to be nice to.

Working for Trump, Sondland says, “was like staying at an all-inclusive resort. You’re thrilled when you first arrive, but things start to go downhill fast. Quality issues start to show. The people who work the place can be rude and not so bright. Attrition is a huge problem. And eventually, you begin to wonder why you agreed to the deal in the first place.”

In the vein of tell-alls by bigger Trump players and accounts by Washington reporters, Sondland describes instances of bizarre behavior.

Trump is shown baffling a group of German auto executives by complaining that the seats in their cars have become too hard to use.

“There’s too many damned buttons and knobs,” Trump said. “… What’s wrong with the old-fashioned grab bar, under the seat? Forward. Back. That’s all you need!”

Sondland says the outburst met with “awkward silence”, before Dieter Zetsche, of Daimler, mollified Trump by saying facial recognition technology would soon negate the need for twiddling with buttons, knobs or bars.

More seriously, in describing preparation for meeting the president of Romania in August 2019, Sondland describes how Trump dodged briefings.

“When I get to the Oval Office,” he writes, “the door is open, country music blasting from inside. Trump, sitting at the Resolute Desk, catches a glimpse of me … and beckons, ‘Get in here and tell me which song you like.’

“An aide is … with him, her face like a deer in headlights. ‘He’s choosing which song to use for his walk-on,’ she manages to yell over the noise. He’s vetting the theme music for his next rally. Really. Trump does focus on some details, and this is an important one. Never mind that the Oval Office sounds like a country western bar, and we are supposed to be prepping for a visit with a foreign leader. He skips forward through a couple of tracks.

“‘Mr President, [Klaus] Iohannis is showing up any minute. Don’t you want to be brought up to speed?’ I yell, scanning my briefing paper. At this moment, a group of officials and dignitaries are gathered in the Cabinet Room for an advance discussion, waiting for us. DJ Trump gives me little further response, so I walk down the hall to meet the others.”

Later, Sondland gave Trump “a few quick tidbits about the president of Romania and how we’re friends with them because we’re both opposed to a natural gas pipeline that Vladimir Putin wants to build from Russia to Eastern Europe”.

As the two men waited for Iohannis to arrive, Sondland says, Trump “pull[ed] out a box of Tic Tacs” and “scarf[ed] them down”.

Sondland said: “Aren’t you going to share?”

“Slightly sheepish, Trump pulls out the white mints and shakes some into my hand. When you call him out on not acting like a normal person, it catches him off guard – and then he kind of likes it. People do it too infrequently.”

What the fuck.

[wardschumaker]

Sondland: Quid Pro Quo; Everyone was in the loop... (2019, 25″ x 37″, acrylic on paper, Ward Schumaker

[dragoni]

It’s called self-preservation — ask Michael Cohen 😏

First of all, Gordon wants you to know that he was raised by Holocaust survivors to be – in his own words – “humble, hard-working and patriotic”.

This humble, hard-working public servant is hard to square with the Gordon best known as a political donor in search of a plum ambassador posting, who chased every other Republican candidate’s favor before settling on the ultimate winner of this reality TV presidency.

“In the absence of these materials, my memory has not been perfect,” Gordon lamented. That was shortly before he perfectly remembered that the entire family of Trump cronies were perfectly looped into the loopy plan that national security advisor John Bolton memorably called the “drug deal” that Gordon was cooking up.

In Gordon’s humble version of history, he was one of the self-styled “three amigos” including the formerly respectable national security official Kurt Volker and the never-respectable energy secretary Rick Perry. These three good amigos, these three musketeers for America, were joined by a dark character who corrupted the whole undertaking.

In actual fact, the three amigos were not corrupted by Rudy or even Donald. This Faustian pact was the product of their own vanity: the notion that they could do some good, wield some power, by facilitating the fraud and corruption spraying out of the Oval Office.

Wolfe did not mention the fact that Sondland and his “amigo” Volker used the same defense — they didn’t make the “link” between the investigation into Burisma with the Biden’s.

However, Republican witness Tim Morrison testified last week that “he initially knew so little about Burisma when he took over for Fiona Hill in July that he had to do a Google search but quickly understood the Biden connection.”  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[whichwayng-blog]

Sondland testimony could be pivotal point of impeachment show down.

[sarcasticcynic]

First, some general background:

“I was disappointed that the State Department prevented me, at the last minute, from testifying earlier on October 8, 2019.”

“I am a lifelong Republican.”

“I worked with Ambassador [Marie] Yovanovich personally during my first official visit to Ukraine in February 2019, and I found her to be an excellent diplomat with a deep command of Ukrainian internal dynamics, the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, and associated regional issues. She was a delight to work with during our visit to Odessa, Ukraine. I was never a part of any campaign to disparage or dislodge her, and I regretted her departure.”

“In my time working with Ambassador [William] Taylor, I have found him to be an insightful, strategic, and effective representative of U.S. interests. He cares deeply about the future of Ukraine and is a dedicated public servant.”

“The Ukraine Mission worked hand in hand with Special Envoy Kurt Volker, another experienced diplomat with a special remit to address the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Mr. Volker is an exemplary professional.”

The highlights:

“On May 23, 2019, three days after the [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelensky inauguration, we in the U.S. delegation [Sondland, Volker, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry] debriefed President Trump and key aides at the White House. ... We asked the White House to arrange a working phone call from President Trump and a working Oval Office visit. However, President Trump was skeptical that Ukraine was serious about reforms and anti-corruption, and he directed those of us present at the meeting to talk to Mr. [Rudy] Giuliani, his personal attorney, about his concerns. It was apparent to all of us that the key to changing President Trump’s mind was Mr. Giuliani.”

“Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and I were disappointed by our May 23, 2019 White House debriefing. We strongly believed that a call and White House meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky was important and that these should be scheduled promptly and without any pre-conditions. We were also disappointed by the President’s direction that we involve Mr. Giuliani. Our view was that the men and women of the State Department, not the President’s personal lawyer, should take responsibility for all aspects of U.S. foreign policy towards Ukraine.”

“I did not understand, until much later, that Mr. Giuliani’s agenda might also have included an effort to prompt the Ukrainians to investigate Vice President [Joe] Biden or his son [Hunter] or to involve the Ukrainian’s directly or indirectly, in the President’s 2020 reelection campaign.”

“On July 25, 2019, President Trump called President Zelensky ... But let me emphasize: I was not on that July 25, 2019 call and I did not see a transcript of that call until September 25, 2019, when the White House publicly released it. None of the brief and general call summaries I received contained any mention of Burisma or former Vice President Biden, nor even suggested that President Trump had made any kind of request of President Zelensky.”

“I understood from President Trump, at the May 23, 2019 White House debriefing, that he wanted the Inaugural Delegation to talk with Mr. Giuliani concerning our efforts to arrange a White House meeting for President Zelensky. Taking direction from the President, as I must, I spoke with Mr. Giuliani for that limited purpose. In these short conversations, Mr. Giuliani emphasized that the President wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into anticorruption issues. Mr. Giuliani specifically mentioned the 2016 election (including the DNC server) and Burisma as two anti-corruption investigatory topics of importance for the President.”

“My understanding was that the President directed Mr. Giuliani’s participation, that Mr. Giuliani was expressing the concerns of the President, and that Mr. Giuliani had already spoken with Secretary Perry and Ambassador Volker. ... Please know that I would not have recommended that Mr. Giuliani or any private citizen be involved in these foreign policy matters. However, given the President’s explicit direction, as well as the importance we attached to arranging a White House meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky, we agreed to do as President Trump directed.”

“Let me state clearly: Inviting a foreign government to undertake investigations for the purpose of influencing an upcoming U.S. election would be wrong. Withholding foreign aid in order to pressure a foreign government to take such steps would be wrong. I did not and would not ever participate in such undertakings. In my opinion, security aid to Ukraine was in our vital national interest and should not have been delayed for any reason.”

How’s the view from under that bus, Rudy?

Finally, the only things that Republicans will hear:

“I do not recall that Mr. Giuliani discussed former Vice President Biden or his son Hunter Biden with me. Like many of you, I read the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call for the first time when it was released publicly by the White House on September 25, 2019.”

“I recall no discussions with any State Department or White House official about Former Vice President Biden or his son, nor do I recall taking part in any effort to encourage an investigation into the Bidens.”

“I called President Trump directly. I asked the President: ‘What do you want from Ukraine?’ The President responded, “Nothing. There is no quid pro quo.‘ The President repeated: ‘no quid pro quo’ multiple times. This was a very short call. And I recall the President was in a bad mood.”

Two thoughts, though:

This doesn’t necessarily demonstrate that there was no quid pro quo; it demonstrates only that Trump’s people didn’t want Sondland (or anyone else) to know about it. Which is entirely consistent with them hiding the transcript of the Zelensky call, never mentioning what Trump actually said to Zelensky, and keeping the whole thing as quiet as possible until the whistleblower came forward.

Regarding Trump repeating “‘no quid pro quo’ multiple times”: How many times in his life do you think Trump had ever used that phrase before, say, September 19, 2019? (Hint: Zero.) It sounds a lot more like Trump was making sure to repeat a phrase that had been carefully drilled into his head as very, very important. Which is, again, wholly consistent with a cover-up of Trump’s actual request to Zelensky for a quid pro quo.

TL;DR: Sondland isn’t testifying that Trump did nothing wrong, or that there was no quid pro quo. Sondland is testifying only that he himself did nothing wrong, because he didn’t know about any quid pro quo.

[dragoni]

Sondland donated $1 million to Trump to get his ambassadorship — the worst money he’s ever spent — for the worst job he’s ever had.

Yes, Sondland saved himself BUT he ultimately honored his Oath of Office and the Constitution.

If Trump and his co-conspirators; Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pence and Rudy Giuliani are indicted, it will be because of Sondland.

[dragoni]

Trump adding Obstruction of Justice to his Articles of Impeachment 😂

Sondland explained that he and other senior officials worked with the President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, “at the express direction of the President of the United States” to secure an investigation of President Trump’s potential political rival Joe Biden, in exchange for a White House visit. “We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we were playing the hand we were dealt,” he testified. “We followed the President’s orders.”

Sondland said the efforts were known to Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the former national-security adviser John Bolton, and other senior members of the Administration. (Mick Mulvaney) 

He testified that Giuliani “was expressing the desire of the President of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the President.”

Sondland read aloud from e-mails that he said confirmed that State Department officials and senior officials in the White House were “all informed about the Ukraine efforts” and that “everyone was in the loop.”

Sondland left no doubt of that. “I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?’”

Sondland said. “As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

Sondland’s testimony also raised the possibility of an article of impeachment regarding obstruction of justice. Sondland said he had not had access to “all of my phone records, State Department e-mails, and other State Department documents” that would have helped him in preparing his testimony. “These documents are not classified,” Sondland said. “They should have been made available.”

“We can see why Secretary Pompeo and President Trump have made such a concerted and across-the-board effort to obstruct this investigation and this impeachment inquiry,” Schiff said. 

“I remind the President that Article Three of the impeachment articles drafted against President Nixon was his refusal to obey the subpoenas of Congress.”, Adam Schiff

[dragoni]

Ambassador Sondland: ‘It was no secret’ quid pro quo came at the ‘express direction of the President’

[dragoni]

Gordon Sondland: “We Followed the President’s Orders”

*** Trump selected Sondland as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union

[dragoni]

Sondland’s opening statement: Dropping BOMBS.

ADMITS there was bribery aka “quid pro quo”

Sondland worked with Giuliani to pressure Ukraine “at the express direction of the president.”

Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pompeo and Mike Pence were DIRECTLY involved

Mike Pompeo’s State Department and White House DENIED Sondland’s lawyers access documents for his testimony  #CoverUp  #UkraineCoverUp

Sondland’s live testimony, “we followed the president’s orders.”  Forty🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Below are some key takeaways from his opening statement. We’ll add more throughout the hearing.

1. Connecting this to the president

In his opening statement, though, Sondland walked right up to the line, if he didn’t cross it.

“Fourth, as I testified previously, [Trump attorney Rudolph W.] Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky,” he said. “Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of the 2016 election/DNC server and Burisma. Mr. Giuliani was expressing the desires of the president of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the president.”

Sondland also repeatedly said “everyone knew it” when asked about the quid pro quo -- as if to emphasize that Trump also knew it.

It’s tempting to say Sondland is implicating Trump. That’s not completely the case; he seems to still be walking a fine line. But he seems to be saying this was all something that Trump blessed, which is significant.

2. ‘Talk to Rudy’ was an order

In many ways, Sondland’s testimony is worse for Trump than Tuesday’s hearing featuring former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and former White House aide Tim Morrison. And in one key respect, it contradicts them. 

“In response to our persistent efforts to change his views, President Trump directed us to ‘talk with Rudy,’ ” Sondland said. “We understood that ‘talk with Rudy’ meant talk with Mr. Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.”

“Directed us” is an order. It’s an instruction. And it again connects this whole effort to Trump — in a way Volker declined to.

3. Pointing fingers and naming names — including Mulvaney, Pompeo and Pence

Sondland said repeatedly in his opening statement that the State Department and the White House didn’t allow him access to the things he needed to provide accurate previous testimony. Hence the inconsistencies and the clarifications, apparently.

“My lawyers and I have made multiple requests to the State Department and the White House for these materials,” he said. “Yet, these materials were not provided to me. They have also refused to share these materials with this committee. These documents are not classified and, in fairness, should have been made available. In the absence of these materials, my memory has not been perfect.

He also named Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying Pompeo had instructed him to work with Giuliani as late as Sept. 24 — which is notably after the whistleblower situation exploded into public view.

He noted acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s involvement, passing along this text exchange from July 19, six days before Trump’s call with Zelensky:

[Sondland said:] “I Talked to Zelensky just now… He is prepared to receive Potus’ call. Will assure him that he intends to run a fully transparent investigation and will ‘turn over every stone’. He would greatly appreciate a call prior to Sunday so that he can put out some media about a ‘friendly and productive call’ (no details) prior to Ukraine election on Sunday.” Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney responded: “I asked NSC to set it up for tomorrow.”

That implicates Mulvaney in these efforts even more. Witnesses had previously said Sondland indicated to Ukrainian officials that he had coordinated the quid pro quo with Mulvaney, who is Trump’s top White House aide.

Lastly, he indicates that he conveyed “concerns” about a quid pro quo to Vice President Pence prior to Sept. 1 meetings in Warsaw.

“I mentioned to Vice President Pence before the meetings with the Ukrainians that I had concerns that the delay in aid had become tied to the issue of investigations,” Sondland said. He added later in his testimony that Pence “nodded that he heard what I said.”

Republicans, there’s no hiding from this. Gordon Sondland is a Pro-Trump Republican