Gordon Sondland to testify in probe
The U.S. ambassador is expected to tell Congress that Trump relayed to him that there was no quid pro quo.
WASHINGTON — A U.S. ambassador is expected to tell Congress that his text message reassuring another envoy that there was no quid pro quo in their interactions with Ukraine was based solely on what President Donald Trump told him, according to a person familiar with his upcoming testimony in the impeachment probe.
Gordon Sondland, Trump’s hand-picked ambassador to the European Union, is among administration officials being subpoenaed to appear on Capitol Hill this week against the wishes of the White House, in the latest test between the legislative and executive branches of government, as the impeachment inquiry by House Democrats deepens.
On Monday, the House panels leading the investigation expect to hear from Fiona Hill, a former top Russia expert at the National Security Council.
Sondland’s appearance, set for Thursday, comes after a cache of text messages from top envoys provided a vivid account of their work acting as intermediaries around the time Trump urged Ukraine’s new president, Volodymr Zelenskiy, to start investigations into a company linked to the family of a chief Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden.
One witness who may not be called before Congress is the still anonymous government whistleblower who touched off the impeachment inquiry. Top Democrats say testimony and evidence coming in from other witnesses, and even the president himself, are backing up the whistleblower’s account of what transpired during Trump’s July 25 phone call with Zelenskiy.
Lawmakers have grown deeply concerned about protecting the person from Trump’s threats over the matter and may not wish to risk exposing their identity.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face The Nation” that “We don’t need the whistleblower, who wasn’t on the call, to tell us what took place during the call. We have the best evidence of that.”
The impeachment inquiry is testing the Constitution’s system of checks and balances as the House presses forward with the probe and the White House dismisses it as “illegitimate” without a formal vote of the House to open impeachment proceedings.
In calling for a vote, the White House is trying to pressure House Democrats who may be politically reluctant to formally put their names behind impeachment.
Rep. Jim Himes, DConn., said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that he’d be fine with taking a formal vote, “but it’s not required.”
Sondland’s appearance comes after text messages from top ambassadors provided a vivid account of their interactions leading up to Trump’s call and the aftermath.
Sondland is set to tell lawmakers that he did understand the administration was offering Zelenskiy a White House visit in exchange for a public statement committing to investigations Trump wanted, according to the person, who demanded anonymity to discuss remarks not yet given.
But Sondland will say his text was not based on any direct knowledge and he did not know the company talked about for an investigation, Burisma, was tied to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, the person said. He understood the discussions about combating corruption to be part of a much broader and publicized Trump administration push that was widely shared, the person said.
In the text exchange, the diplomats raised alarm that Trump appeared to up the ante, withholding military aid to Ukraine over the investigation.
One seasoned diplomat on the text message, William Taylor, called it “crazy to withhold security assistance” to Ukraine in exchange for “help with a political campaign.”
Sondland responds that the assertion is “incorrect” about Trump’s intentions. “The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo’s of any kind,” he said in the text message.