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.
Klobuchar says she has "made it very clear that this is impeachable conduct. ... I believe our job as jurors is to look at each count and make a decision"
"Let me make very clear that what this impeachment inquiry is about is really democracy at stake."
Klobuchar, on Trump putting his interests above all else: "This is wrong. This has been a pattern with this man."
"I think it is very, very important that we have a president who is going to put our country first."
Sanders: "Sadly we have a president who is not only a pathological liar he is likely the most corrupt president in the modern history of America, but we cannot simply be consumed by Donald Trump. Because if we are we're going to lose the election!"
Hits on his best ofs: high costs of healthcare, homelessness, climate change.
Says that Americans must see that Congress and Democrats "can walk and chew gum at the same time."
Buttigieg: "The constitutional process of impeachment should be beyond politics, and it is not a part of the campaign. But the president's conduct is. The impeachable conduct that we have seen in the abuse of power, that we're learning more about in the investigations, but just to be clear the president has already" admitted to this on television.
He says that the president would have normally stepped aside already.
"We are absolutely going to confront this president for his wrongdoing," he says, but notes they are running to take his place so they need to provide a vision for the future.
Biden: "Look the next president of the United States is going to have to do two things: Defeat Donald Trump, that's number one, and number two" is go into deep south states and get a Senate majority.
He suggests he is the most likely to expand Democratic Senate population.
He says that he has learned from the impeachment hearings that Trump doesn't want to run against him.
He has, however, ignored the question about Republicans attacking Biden, even though he says he believes he can work with them as president.
Harris: "Justice is on the ballot"
References the quote that "everyone was in the loop" testimony from this afternoon.
"This not only points to the corrupt nature of this administration... but it also points to another issue and back to the question that you asked earlier which is what does it mean for the American people."
She says that it shows there are two sets of rules: Those for the powerful, and "everybody else".
Warren: "I think the way we achieve our goals and bring our country together is we talk about the things that unite us, and that is that we want to build a country that works for the people, and not just" the rich.
She then plugs her wealth tax, which would ask for 2 per cent tax on wealth over $50 million.
Booker: "We all agree that we have to bring in a lot of revenue in this country."
He says he doesn't agree with the wealth tax that Warren has proposed, but has other ideas.
"As I travel around the country we Democrats also need to talk about how to grow wealth as well."
Warren responds to Booker, explaining that her 2 per cent wealth tax could bring in universal pre-k, put $800 billion "new federal dollars" into public schools, make college tuition free.
She has a lot of plans for her wealth tax, and her response notes that it would be an investment in regular families.
Booker responds calling Warren's wealth tax "cumbersome" and says there are other ways to get the policies Warren has promised.
Booker attacks VC investments, and says millionaires and billionaires will pay "their fair share", but that there will be a "pathway" to achievement.
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