Sondland paradox: implicates top officials on Ukraine but says he 'never heard' quid pro quo from Trump

Sondland paradox: implicates top officials on Ukraine but says he 'never heard' quid pro quo from Trump
Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, tied top officials to the “potential quid pro quo” involving U.S. military aid to Ukraine and investigations desired by President Trump during his highly anticipated impeachment hearing testimony on Wednesday. Still, Sondland testified he never heard the president himself mention any preconditions involving Ukraine.

Sondland claimed he kept Secretary of State Mike Pompeo aware of what was going on and said he specifically told Vice President Pence he "had concerns" the military aid to Ukraine "had become tied" to investigations. And he repeatedly lambasted Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s leading role in the administration’s Ukraine dealings. Aides to Pence and Pompeo denied Sondland's claims Wednesday. Giuliani pushed back on the ambassador's testimony, tweeting he “came into this” at the request of then-Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker. “Sondland is speculating based on VERY little contact," Giuliani tweeted. "I never met him and had very few calls with him, mostly with Volker."

One of the key witnesses in the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry against Trump, Sondland was seen as a wild card going into Wednesday's hearing. He had given testimony behind closed doors that conflicted with others' and recently offered amended statements that contradicted his previous testimony. Taken in their entirety, Sondland's statements Wednesday are likely to fuel the narratives of both Democrats and Republicans. Click here for more.