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You are here: Home / Politics / Impeachment Inquiry / Testimony of Gordon Sondland

Reader Interactions

203Comments

  2. 2.

    Marcopolo

    Everything I’m reading/hearing is Sondland will be coming clean on everything. If true, that’s a big deal.

     

    emptywheel has a poll up on her tweet thread asking folks to vote on who will lead his character assassination.

  5. 5.

    JWR

    Just now on CBS, Nancy Cordes says Sondland is gonna say there really was a quid pro quo and will likely blame it all on Rudy911.

  6. 6.

    TS (the original)

    Pundits (CBS – those same folks who think what trump did is not impeachable) all talking about the opening statement & who knew what when.

  7. 7.

    Betty Cracker

    WaPo has excerpts of the opening statement:

    Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified on Wednesday more bluntly than he had before that President Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, sought to condition a White House invite for Ukraine’s new president to demands that his country publicly launch investigations that could damage Trump’s political opponents.

     

    “I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?’” Sondland said in prepared testimony. “With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

     

    Whoa.

  8. 8.

    Jeffro

    I think it’s great.  I’m sure Rudy will gladly take the fall for trumpov and go quietly.

     

    BWAH-HA-HA-HA!  yeah RIGHT!

  13. 13.

    Lee

    Sondland is not going to go to prison for Trump. He also knows that Trump has zero loyalty to anyone but himself and Ivanka. Today he will do eveything he can to avoid prison.

  15. 15.

    germy

    Brian Kilmeade: "I find it hard to believe that people just accept that you could hear both sides of a phone call three thous — or five thousand miles away. I've never heard both sides of a phone call when you have it to your ear." pic.twitter.com/PyxgDPoc60— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) November 20, 2019

    You can’t argue with that, libs.

  16. 16.

    low-tech cyclist

    Sondland has changed his deposition to the House Intelligence Committee.

    Reminds me of Ron Zeigler and inoperative statements.

  17. 17.

    TS (the original)

    I hope Volker is listening and reading and wondering about this testimony. It appears Sondland has taken the advice of his lawyer.

  18. 18.

    Betty Cracker

    More from WaPo:

    In his prepared remarks, Sondland drops distinctions he’d earlier drawn between his work for Giuliani and his work for Trump, saying that he worked with Giuliani “at the express direction of the President of the United States.”

    Schiff’s opening statement is devastating so far, and Sondland looks like he’s going to puke.

  19. 19.

    low-tech cyclist

    @germy: Ah, the Fox News brain trust.

     

    “What a terrible thing to have lost one’s mind. Or not to have a mind at all. How true that is.” – Dan Quayle

  21. 21.

    Nomad

    Sondland has directly named Trumpf and Giuliani and wonder of wonders, Representative Ron Johnson in his opening statement alone….

  23. 23.

    Marcopolo

    And in another location in Washington D.C.:

    Pam Bondi, just brought on WH communications ace on impeachment, has done her first interviewon CBS, she dismissed Gordon Sondland as a “short-term” ambassador to Ukrainehe’s not the ambassador to Ukraine— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) November 20, 2019

    Thought we could all use a little humor.

  24. 24.

    Adam L Silverman

    I’m about ten minutes behind, so still listening to Schiff’s opening statement, but Sondland looks decidedly uncomfortable.

  25. 25.

    TS (the original)

    @Betty Cracker:

    Schiff’s opening statement is devastating so far, and Sondland looks like he’s going to puke.

    No-one can say it better and 100% describe the scene

  29. 29.

    dmsilev

    @Baud:

     

    Obviously, Sondland is lying to take out his chief hotel competitor.

    He’s going to incriminate Illinois governor Jay Pritzker?

  32. 32.

    henrythefifth

    I still find it hilarious that Sondland, Amb. to the EU, OF WHICH UKRAINE IS NOT A MEMBER, is at the core of this.  Just another example of Keystone Kops.

  33. 33.

    germy

    I don’t know.  Sondland looks amused by the whole thing so far.  He has that smirk that i’ve only seen on the extremely wealthy.

  34. 34.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Betty Cracker: is it just me or is the sun shining a little brighter today?

     

    Of course, that could still just be the afterglow of seeing Auburn lose…again.  The nation’s best three loss team!

  35. 35.

    Gin & Tonic

    Can’t watch or listen, so relying on the juicitariat for the juice. Have to say I’m looking forward to an underbussing for Rudy.

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    Nunes is just regurgitating TRUE Trump/RNC crimes as if they were preposterous conspiracy theories

     

    ETA: Example, Russia laundered campaign contributions through the NRA. Um, they did?

  40. 40.

    germy

    @Sandia Blanca:

    OMG look at Nunes in his gangsta suit!

    It looks like one of Roger Stone’s pinstripe suits, but I guess Nunes isn’t brave enough to rock the purple top hat that came with it.

  41. 41.

    mistermix loves your ass

    I don’t know if there is an effective way to defend Trump, but Nunes’ “laughing at the absurdity” approach sure isn’t it.

  42. 42.

    JWR

    Something, can’t quite put my finger on it, tells me that Liddle’ Devin hasn’t read Sondland’s prepared statement. (Also, how many hours do you suppose Nunes’ staffers spend rewriting his own opening statement(s)?)

  43. 43.

    MattF

    And, the path that Sondland is apparently taking— from major Trump supporter, to co-conspirator, to perjurer, to reluctant testifier, to actually telling the truth… is about as damning as it can possibly be. He really does not want to wear prison stripes, ‘self-sacrificial loyalty to Trump’ is not on his todo list.

  47. 47.

    germy

    I wish I could sit quietly and stare straight ahead like Schiff when confronted with a flood of bullshit.

  49. 49.

    JWR

    Ooo! Devin’s now demanding that the committee subpoena Hunter Biden, as well as a list of the usual suspects, but I didn’t hear the name “Andrea Chalupa” in there.

  50. 50.

    Leto

    So I was 20 mins late to the hearing, turned it on and Dumb Dumb Nunes is incoherently rambling. His voice is not helping the headache that I have. Maybe if he stops speaking, forever, that might help.

  51. 51.

    Gin & Tonic

    @MattF: IIRC, Sondland is a Trumper-come-lately. Figured he’d drop a mill, get a sweet gig, nice flat in Brussels, do some grip-and-grins, throw some lavish parties, not break a sweat, return to Portland after a few years as a big shot. He’s by no means a true believer, and probably wants to get out from under this shit as quickly and painlessly (to him) as possible. He’s clearly got enough money to hire good lawyers, and just enough common sense to listen to them.

  56. 56.

    TS (the original)

    It seems everyone in the state department works to a different set of rules/procedures/policies than the president*

     

    And I wonder if trump knows how many immigrants he has employed?

  59. 59.

    TS (the original)

    @Elizabelle:  Sorry, I have no idea who they are – the ones giving all the help to the GOP were talking before the hearing started. Other folks here may know who they are.

  60. 60.

    Betty Cracker

    I think this is right:

    Sondland is setting the stage for why he’s changing the story by saying he didn’t have access to all records, isn’t a note-taker, etc.

  61. 61.

    Elizabelle

    So he’s trying to blame his original lying responses to not having access to his State Dept materials, even though he’s “not a note taker”??

  66. 66.

    JMG

    @Gin & Tonic:  Your analysis strikes me as exactly correct. BTW, this may end the practice of giving ambassadorships to big donors because big donors may no longer want them.

  67. 67.

    Leto

    Sondland going for the, “I’m not a note taker/I can’t remember anything” as his defense. Bold choice Cotton, let’s see how this plays out!

  69. 69.

    Elizabelle

    “We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani.  Simply put, we were playing the hand we were dealt …. so we followed the President’s orders.”

     

    Slam!

  70. 70.

    Yarrow

    Sondland: “Volker, Perry and I worked with Giuliani at the express direction of the President of the United States.”

     

    Tick tock, motherfuckers

  73. 73.

    Elizabelle

    If I had known what a crook Giuliani was “I would not have acquiesced to his participation.”

     

    Slam!

  74. 74.

    germy

    Are we sure Sondland will flip?

     

    EDIT:  Okay, now I see.  It was all Rudy’s fault.  Wait, but he was following orders from Trump.

  78. 78.

    Marcopolo

    Nice, the bus just rolled over Pompeo.

    The wheels on the bus go round & round…

     

    It seems to me the only route left clear for R’s at this point is yes the President did do all these things, it wasn’t the best way to go about diplomating, but it doesn’t rise to the level of impeachment.

  85. 85.

    Yarrow

    Ron Johnson goes under the bus. He’s been on MTP a few times weakly trying to spin Trump’s story. Not worth it, big guy.

  87. 87.

    J R in WV

    @Steve in the ATL:

     

    the afterglow of seeing Auburn lose…again. The nation’s best three loss team!

    My  RWNJ sister-in-law went to Auburn, did an accounting degree.
     
    So I love it whenever they lose, or otherwise look as stupid as they are.

  88. 88.

    Elizabelle

    @zhena gogolia:   Happily, C-Span footage will be available 24/7.  You can feast at your own pleasure later.  (I missed most of yesterday, so need to catch up.)

     

    And you can speed right past Nunes and the howler monkeys, unlike real life.

  89. 89.

    Leto

    @Elizabelle: That’s what I heard. Unlike every other professionally trained FSO, Mr Portland Hotel Man doesn’t bother to take notes on literally anything happening within his “portfolio”.

  95. 95.

    Barbara

    @Marcopolo: My impression of Pam Bondi is that she spends at least an hour in front of a mirror primping for the day, followed by an hour scouring newspapers to see whether and how she is mentioned.  In fact, she kind of reminds me of Trump, that is, she is incredibly self-regarding and I can’t for the life of me think why anyone thought she would be helpful to the president in this mess.

  105. 105.

    Adam L Silverman

    @germy: Pull the fire alarm? Call in an active shooter threat to the Capitol Police? Throw stuff? Gym Jordan takes a shower in the well of the committee room while loudly proclaiming he “sees nothing”?

  106. 106.

    wvng

    This is astonishing.  He’s brought all of the players onto the ballfield.  And he is far more impressive than I could have imagined.

  108. 108.

    Elizabelle

    “Talk with Rudy.”

    Talk with the crook.

    “Let me say it again.  We were not happy at President Trump’s directive.  We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani.”

  111. 111.

    Leto

    @germy: Hunter Biden! Burisma! Whistle blower!

    Also Sondland is a good little brown shirt. “I was following the orders of the President.”

  113. 113.

    Elizabelle

    “We chose the latter path not because we liked it, but because it was the only path forward for us.”

    The path being “Talk with Rudy.”

  118. 118.

    Elizabelle

    Rudy brings up the DNC server as being important to the President.

     

    And here comes in Pompeo’s staff.  And staff at the NSC.

  123. 123.

    Marcopolo

    So does this testimony now put Morrison in jeopardy? According to Sondland he was kept in the loop on everything.

  125. 125.

    Leto

    He doesn’t remember anything, but remembers the “great pictures”. Priorities my man, priorities.

  126. 126.

    Bruce K

    Sorry for breaking in with the dumb-cluck question, but things are happening faster than I can keep up on Teh Inatrweebs:

     

    Did Sondland just blow up the defenses of the entire Trump cartel?

  137. 137.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Barbara: When she and the President first met, she was ten years younger and, at least, 30 lbs lighter. That’s what he sees in her.

    Also, every legitimate Republican oriented lawyer doesn’t want to touch this rapidly expanding toxic waste dump with a 100 foot pole, so the President’s options are limited to political hacks with law degrees who’ve been elected and/or appointed Republican officials.

  139. 139.

    PPCLI

    @Betty Cracker:

    I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?’” Sondland said in prepared testimony. “With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

     

    Watch this guy carefully. He is conceding a quid pro quo alright, but he’s sticking to the preposterous story that the trade was for the meeting and a “white house call”, not the release of aid. LIstening to the testimony so far, I am not sure this is not worked out with the administration carefully. They have figured out what they have to admit, because there is solid testimony from multiple witnesses attesting to it, and they’re still trying to come up with the admissions that will allow them to throw up some kind of smoke. It makes the overall testimony more credible if Sondland just openly admits to the stuff he can’t plausibly deny.

    Hopefully the Democratic counsel will shred this.

  142. 142.

    germy

    According to Ambassador Sondland’s prepared testimony today, he raised his concerns about the Biden quid pro quo with Ukraine with Senator Johnson. This means that Senator Johnson could be called as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial.

    Wait a minute, you might ask. One of the people voting on guilt or innocence can also be a witness? In an impeachment trial, the answer is yes. The Senate rules expressly contemplate that a Senator can be a witness in providing that when a Senator gives testimony he must do so standing at his or her desk in the chamber (a somewhat odd procedure, but no matter). Moreover, participation as a witness does not mean that a Senator Johnson must recuse himself.

    https://balkin.blogspot.com/2019/11/senator-ron-johnson-has-problem.html

  143. 143.

    Jeffro

    @Baud: LOL

     

    I haven’t smoked in eighteen years but you know, maybe later today, I might grab two quick puffs.

     

    HOO BOY

  146. 146.

    TS (the original)

    @wvng:  He is also attempting to cover himself every which way what way.

     

    He said he had every right to be involved with Ukraine – yet he was the amb. to the EU and Ukraine is NOT part of the EU. Europe is not the EU.

  147. 147.

    Bruce K

    If what I’m reading is accurate … could this be what convinces the GOP that they’re now in the political equivalent of a Kobayashi Maru scenario? I mean, I’m pretty sure they’ve been there since Trump was elected, but could today be the day that they realize it?

  150. 150.

    Adam L Silverman

    @wvng: Despite appearances, he’s not stupid. He’s also been a political benefactor in exchange for political appointments, for both parties. He would like to 1) not go to prison, 2) not loose his source of wealth/his hotel business, 3) not become a pariah.

  152. 152.

    Elizabelle

    We’re going to need a fresh thread for when the statement has concluded.  Lots to comment on with this witness!

  158. 158.

    Ghost of Joe Lieblings Dog

    Is the “gosh, fellows, had I but known what a dreadful crook he was, why, I would never have lied my head off under oath for him” defense a good one, generally speaking?

  159. 159.

    Elizabelle

    @Yarrow:   Did you see Mustache of Understanding Tom Friedman’s column this week about how Pompeo has no integrity?

     

    People at DOS must be screaming.  I would like to see Pompeo go down hard, but especially to see William Barr go down too.

  165. 165.

    germy

    Sondland names the 6 people on the email (basically, Perry, Pompeo, Mulvaney, and their +1s), listing them off with his fingers, then looks around with a wild look.— emptywheel (@emptywheel) November 20, 2019

  167. 167.

    PPCLI

    @Betty Cracker: True. Listening and reading more, it is clear he is protecting himself first.

    He is a very wealthy man, who has no doubt consulted with a battery of very expensive, exceptionally shrewd, independent lawyers.

  168. 168.

    Elizabelle

    Haven’t been watching the feed.  Curious about faces of the GOP howler monkey types.  Might be amusing to see them.

     

    Will Hurd has got to be so damn glad he’s retiring.  He’s the only one of that whole goddamned GOP cmtee membership who is going to walk out with any credibility or dignity.

  171. 171.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

     

    @Cheryl Rofer: And, IMO, the only route for him to have a chance at avoiding jail.

    So as an ordinary citizen and not a Trump appointee, I’m confused about the law here. If I lie in a sworn statement and the lawyers know it, how many times do I get to come back and correct it before they charge me with perjury?

    PS: The user experience in “Visual” mode with blockquotes is kind of messed up. Summary: There doesn’t seem to be any way to start a response with a quote and then position the cursor outside the quote to type unquoted text.

    Easily bypassed in Text mode so low priority.

  174. 174.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Marcopolo: More jeopardy. One of the first questions Schiff or Goldman will ask Fiona Hill tomorrow is about whether she can 1) confirm that she spoke to Morrison about Vindland during the transition of her out and Morrison in, 2) if that conversation was as Morrison described it, and 3) if it was not, what did Morrison misstate. He put himself in a lot of trouble because he appears to be a prissy micro-manager.

  176. 176.

    germy

    Sondland pauses dramatically, between introducing Bolton's request for Rudy's contact info, then repeating, "They requested Giuliani's contact information" then looks up with vicious look. He's having fun.— emptywheel (@emptywheel) November 20, 2019

  178. 178.

    Mr. Mack

    Can we expect minority counsel to try and paint Sondland as a liar?  Seems there is nowhere else to go.

  179. 179.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Bruce K: a Kobayashi Maru scenario

     

    The only Maru I know is the Japanese YouTube kitty who thinks he’s hiding when he sticks his head into tiny boxes much too small for the rest of his body. Which works as an analogy for Republicans, but I don’t think that’s what you were referring to?

  182. 182.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Bruce K: No, because Kobayashi Maru is a furrin name, not a Murican one. So they can’t be in it.

     

    Also, it’s 19 parsecs out of Altair 6 and has hit a gravitic mine. I don’t think they’re going to get its distress call in time.

  183. 183.

    Roger Moore

    @germy:

    I wonder what the Republicans’ approach will be now?

    There are two logical approaches:

    1. All these guys are anti-Trumpers who have conspired to frame him
    2. It was all Guiliani’s fault

    I expect them to try some god awful, incoherent mix of the two.

  188. 188.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @germy: That’s how I did it, but then I couldn’t type any text outside the blockquote. If I hit the quote button again, that just unquoted the other text. That is, the sequence was: Reply, Paste Text, Quote (link and text quoted), then try to position cursor at end and type (shows up inside the blockquote).

     

    I think that you can make it work if you paste the quoted text, type whatever you want to add, then highlight and blockquote the part you want quoted.

    @satby: Nope. That’s what I was doing. Could not get any text to show up outside the block.

    (Mac OS X, Firefox)

  191. 191.

    satby

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I think that you can make it work if you paste the quoted text, type whatever you want to add, then highlight and blockquote the part you want quoted.

    Yes, that’s as easy a way as what I did.

    I do think the common thread I see is that Firefox users seem to have the most issues with the updated site. No statistics to verify that though. I use my Kindle Fire with its proprietary browser, so I expected some hiccups, but haven’t had any problems at all.

  196. 196.

    Wapiti

    @Bruce K: Kobayashi was the name of the lawyer in The Usual Suspects. As my niece explains it, a Kobayashi Maru exercise is an assignment that has no good correct answers; it’s to see how well the students perform with a bad hand. I think that’s taken from a Star Trek episode.

  197. 197.

    J R in WV

    @Yarrow:

     

    Pompeo is toast. What was that about him running for Senate? Hahahahaha.

    Pompeo, first in his class at West Point, but as Friedman said the other day, they must not have counted any classes in ethics or morality in his leadership training.

  199. 199.

    J R in WV

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

     

    There doesn’t seem to be any way to start a response with a quote and then position the cursor outside the quote to type unquoted text.

    I find that if at the end of your quoted text, if you hit enter and then end quotes you get a new line you can start typing on. Usually, anyhoo.

  200. 200.

    mad citizen

    Just now I achieved the long-running BJ joke of eating popcorn while watching/listening the hearing (actually reading through all the comments, looking at a few side tweets, and looking up Kobayashi Maru exercise on wikipedia (not being a Star Trek fan).  A game theory corollary surely is the Prisoners Dilemma.  With the number of “prisoners” in trumpov world, hopefully this whole House of Dumbass Cards falls soon.  Will all the Rs go down with their party or what?  Will our nation split into the Red States of America and the Blue States of America?  Tune in tomorrow to see.

     

    I hope at some point the democrats lay out WHY it was so important for trumpov to get the info war going, the psyops and all of that.

  203. 203.

    Bill Arnold

    @Wapiti:

    As my niece explains it, a Kobayashi Maru exercise is an assignment that has no good correct answers; it’s to see how well the students perform with a bad hand. I think that’s taken from a Star Trek episode.

    Technically, there is a correct answer, that involves changing the Rules. Often an option, if frowned upon. (Considerable skill may be required to properly execute.)
    Not clear the Republicans have that option now, though. Even a Reichstag fire (something functionally similar) would get instant hard pushback from the current, suspicious US press.

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