Trump Impeachment Inquiry: A Really Simple Recap Of This Week’s Mad Moments
But it turns out Trump may have had another reason to want to keep him away from a microphone.
On Wednesday Sondland did sit in front of the inquiry and, on live TV, proceeded to throw Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani under the proverbial bus, saying both men explicitly sought a “quid pro quo” (a favour in exchange for a favour) with Ukraine.
In opening remarks Sondland said: “Was there a ’quid pro quo?′ With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”
The rest, he said, was obvious: “Two plus two equals four.”
He added: “Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret. We followed the president’s orders.”
Sondland also said that he and Trump spoke directly about desired investigations, including a colourful mobile phone call in the summer overheard by others at a restaurant in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.
That sounds quite damning.
That’s because it is. Here was a senior US official telling the impeachment inquiry that the very thing they’re trying to impeach Trump over definitely – at least in his telling – happened.
How did Trump react?
Bizarrely, he tried to claim it as proof he did nothing wrong and had some big handwritten notes to prove it.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump cited comments by Sondland about a conversation with the president, in which he said Trump told him he wanted nothing from Ukraine.