Democratic debates: Democrats prepare for fifth debate after key impeachment witness says Trump directed Ukraine 'quid pro quo' in bombshell testimony
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Your support makes all the difference.Gordon Sondland has implicated a number of White House officials who were “in the loop” with Donald Trump's direction to withhold aid to Ukraine in an exchange for a meeting and a public statement announcing an investigation into the president’s political opponents.
The testimony came as Democrats were preparing to hold their fifth debate of 2020 in Atlanta, where they will undoubtedly be asked about the freshly sprung impeachment inquiry that has dominated headlines.
Mr Sondland, a US ambassador to the EU, affirmed that there was a so-called quid pro quo, dropping a bombshell testimony into another pivotal hearing in the House impeachment inquiry into the president’s alleged abuses of power in his dealings with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to his testimony, Mr Sondland worked under the president’s order to work with Rudy Giuliani “not because we liked it but because it was the only constructive path” to building a relationship with a vulnerable Ukraine. In emails and other conversations with US officials — including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Energy Secretary Rick Perry — Mr Sondland established a clear link from the president, through Giuliani, and efforts to engage Ukraine with investigations into the 2016 election and Burisma.
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Mr Trump told reporters outside the White House that he barely knows Mr Sondland, who he previously called a "great American", and that he seems like a “nice guy".
The president read from a stack of papers in his hand, which included, in capital letters, his recollection of a conversation with Mr Sondland in which Trump said "I WANT NOTHING. I WANT NOTHING. I WANT NO QUID PRO QUO."
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that "the US aid to Ukraine flowed, no investigation was launched, and President Trump has met and spoken with President Zelensky. Democrats keep chasing ghosts."
Mr Pence and Mr Perry also released statements during the hearing denying Mr Giuliani’s influence in their dealings with Ukraine. They’ve refused to testify in the impeachment probe.
Mr Trump also lashed out at his Democratic opponents conducting the House impeachment inquiry, mocked key witnesses giving testimony for their sartorial choices and denied that the onset of a heart attack was what prompted his sudden trip to hospital on Saturday.
"These people are sick. They’re sick. And the press really in this country is dangerous. We don’t have freedom of the press in this country. We have the opposite. We have a very corrupt media," the president ranted from the Cabinet Room of the White House on Tuesday.
The inquiry heard from four witnesses on Tuesday who detailed the administration’s coercion of Ukraine.
Nunes now up, yielding to Ratcliffe:
Ratcliffe, and is noting that Trump has a general skepticism of providing aide to foreign countries.
Hale says "we've often heard" that Trump wants to make sure that "foreign assistance is reviewed scrupulously."
Hale says that the NSC has launched a foreign assistance review process.
Ratcliffe pointing out that Trump doesn't much like foreign aide, in general. Not just when it comes to Ukraine.
Hale testifies that it is "an occurrence" that US foreign aide is withheld or delayed.
He notes aide was withheld from Pakistan "because of unhappiness over the policies and behavior of the Pakistani government".
He also notes that aide was withheld from Honduras, and other countries in Central America. Also Lebanon, which he said he was not given a reason for, which he said is "not the normal way that we function... [but] it does happen."
Hale, amid questioning from Republicans, says that it is "correct" that aide has been withheld from several countries in this past year.
"We were not given an explanation," Hale says of the decision to hold back Ukraine aide.
Ratcliffe notes that Javelin missiles were supplied to Ukraine. Hale refuses to say whether the Obama administration provided similar aide.
Jim Himes says he is "delighted" to follow Ratcliffe, because he laid out the entire Republican defense.
Himes says "president Trump wasn't worried about corruption in Ukraine, in fact int he two conversations he had about Ukraine... not once does the president of the united states use the word corruption".
On being prudent in holding up foreign aide: "That's not just wrong. It's illegal."
Himes notes that the president in the United States is not in charge of funding decisions, which is up to Congress.
"When Congress authorized this money it built in conditions, just as Mr Ratcliffe suggested," Himes says.
Cooper confirms that there are legal benchmarks for distributing aide, and confirms the process did take place for the funding that led to the holding up of Ukraine aide.
The gist of what Himes is doing here is noting that the aide Trump froze to Ukraine already had a framework for approval, which was determined by Congress. Trump, he says, cannot arbitrarily decide to hold up congressionally mandated aide.
"This wasn't about corruption, the timeline proves it," Himes said.
He notes that Mick Mulvaney admitted that the "corruption related to the DNC server" was "why we held up the money."
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