The public hearing in the House of Representatives Gordon Sondland was expected Wednesday, November 20, she has kept his promises. For the first time, an actor in the Ukrainian affair with direct access to the US president was indeed heard by the intelligence committee in the context of Donald Trump's indictment proceedings.
The Ambassador to the European Union has confirmed in the clearest way that the White House conditioned crucial military aid in Kiev and a visit to Washington for President Volodymyr Zelensky to open investigations against political opponents President of the United States, including Joe Biden. Democrats believe this market is an abuse of power for personal gain.
The "failing memory" of the ambassador
Appointed to his post after paying $ 1 million to Donald Trump's nomination committee, the wealthy businessman swept away many of the president's lines of defense during his keynote address. He began by lamenting the administration's refusal to cooperate with the House of Representatives, assuring that the release of documents blocked by the State Department prevented him from being more specific in his memories. After having first rectified his testimony given behind closed doors, the ambassador, who often evokes a "Faulty memory", thus seemed to want to guard against any accusation of perjury.
With a relaxed attitude that decided the severity of the previous witnesses, all members of the administration, Gordon Sondland then discarded Donald Trump, repeating many times to have worked on the Ukrainian file by following " the instructions " Of the president. He complained that he had to collaborate "On the express order" from the latter with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. "We all understood that if we refused, (…) we would lose an opportunity to cement the relationship between the United States and Ukraine ", he said.
"I know that members of this commission have frequently summarized these complicated matters into one question:" Was there a give and take? "As I testified before, (…) The answer is yes "said Gordon Sondland. The ambassador has thus taken the opposite of the president, who has always rejected this thesis of a market virulence since the outbreak of the case. New detail, he felt that Donald Trump seemed to be satisfied with the announcement of the opening of investigations, one of which concerned a company, Burisma, which counted the son of Joe Biden, Hunter, on its board of directors. The president could have used them to weaken the one who was then the favorite of the race for the Democratic nomination for the presidential election of 2020.
