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

Testimony of Gordon Sondland

by Cheryl Rofer|  November 20, 20199:02 am| 203 Comments

This post is in: Impeachment Hearings, Impeachment Inquiry, Live Blogging

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I have questions for him.

Sondland is in a heap of trouble. Other testimony puts him at the center of the President’s demands for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelinsky to announce an investigation into the Bidens. Sondland has changed his deposition to the House Intelligence Committee.

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Reader Interactions

203Comments

  1. 1.

    GregB

    November 20, 2019 at 9:04 am

    Sondland deploys spike strips, sends Trump bus into ravine.

     

    Unknown number of casualties.

  2. 2.

    Marcopolo

    November 20, 2019 at 9:05 am

    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.

  3. 3.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:06 am

    @Marcopolo:

    Seems to be – he has a 23 page opening statement – possibly blaming Giuliani

  4. 4.

    Cheryl Rofer

    November 20, 2019 at 9:07 am

    @Marcopolo: That would be a big deal. And, IMO, the only route for him to have a chance at avoiding jail.

  5. 5.

    JWR

    November 20, 2019 at 9:09 am

    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)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:09 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:10 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:11 am

    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!

  9. 9.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:11 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     

     

    Aw, man. And I can’t watch most of it.

  10. 10.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 20, 2019 at 9:12 am

    Sondland doesn’t want to go to jail for Tangerine T. He saw what happened to Cohen.

  11. 11.

    Betty Cracker

    November 20, 2019 at 9:12 am

    @Baud: I shouldn’t be! This impeachment has dented my productivity most grievously!

  12. 12.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:13 am

    Paging Dr. Reed. Dr. Walter Reed. Clear your schedule. You have incoming.

  13. 13.

    Lee

    November 20, 2019 at 9:14 am

    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.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:14 am

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

  15. 15.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:14 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:15 am

    Sondland has changed his deposition to the House Intelligence Committee.

    Reminds me of Ron Zeigler and inoperative statements.

  17. 17.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:17 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:19 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:19 am

    @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

  20. 20.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:19 am

    These photos:

    My summary of today's impeachment hearings for those who couldn't tune in. pic.twitter.com/hK5zbAikpr— ✌️I Need A Favor, Though✌️ (@Leslieoo7) November 20, 2019

  21. 21.

    Nomad

    November 20, 2019 at 9:21 am

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

  22. 22.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 20, 2019 at 9:21 am

    @germy: Has he not heard of speaker phone. Is he that stupid or is it just  an act.

  23. 23.

    Marcopolo

    November 20, 2019 at 9:22 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:22 am

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

  25. 25.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:23 am

    @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

  26. 26.

    Cheryl Rofer

    November 20, 2019 at 9:23 am

    Good opening statement from Schiff, summarizing relevant testimony so far. Will be a nice match with Sondland’s testimony for the media.

  27. 27.

    Marcopolo

    November 20, 2019 at 9:23 am

    @schrodingers_cat: SATSQ: Yes, Yes, he is that dumb.

  28. 28.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:23 am

    Nunes – Amb Sondland – Welcome – well actually no, you are not welcome

  29. 29.

    dmsilev

    November 20, 2019 at 9:24 am

    @Baud:

     

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

    He’s going to incriminate Illinois governor Jay Pritzker?

  30. 30.

    Alien Radio

    November 20, 2019 at 9:24 am

    @schrodingers_cat: in all cases. Yes.

  31. 31.

    Sandia Blanca

    November 20, 2019 at 9:24 am

    OMG look at Nunes in his gangsta suit!

  32. 32.

    henrythefifth

    November 20, 2019 at 9:25 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:25 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:26 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:26 am

    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.

  36. 36.

    Roger Moore

    November 20, 2019 at 9:26 am

    @Marcopolo:

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

    All of them, Katie.

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    November 20, 2019 at 9:27 am

    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?

  38. 38.

    Steve in the ATL

    November 20, 2019 at 9:27 am

    @dmsilev: that might have been funny if there were a long history of Illinois governors going to prison.

  39. 39.

    Cheryl Rofer

    November 20, 2019 at 9:27 am

    Nice enumeration from Nunes that can later be used as a checklist to show how wrong he is.

  40. 40.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:27 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:27 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:28 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:29 am

    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.

  44. 44.

    dmsilev

    November 20, 2019 at 9:30 am

    @Steve in the ATL: I lived in Chicago during the Blago era. I remember.

  45. 45.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:30 am

    Is trump live-tweeting this? I’m afraid to look

  46. 46.

    dmsilev

    November 20, 2019 at 9:31 am

    @MattF: So, you’re saying that he’s the John Dean of Stupid Watergate?

  47. 47.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:31 am

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

  48. 48.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 20, 2019 at 9:33 am

    Has Nunez stopped speaking he is so gross, I can’t bear to hear him speak.

  49. 49.

    JWR

    November 20, 2019 at 9:33 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:33 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:34 am

    @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.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:34 am

    @germy: Number 1 skill of any successful politician.

  53. 53.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:34 am

    @Marcopolo: She’s not all that bright.

  54. 54.

    Sandia Blanca

    November 20, 2019 at 9:35 am

    @germy: Takes decades of villainy to achieve Stone-level sartorial hideousness.

  55. 55.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:35 am

    @TS (the original):   Who are the CBS pundits?  No TV, so I don’t know.

  56. 56.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:36 am

    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?

  57. 57.

    Gin & Tonic

    November 20, 2019 at 9:37 am

    @JWR: The Chalupa he’s got a Jones for is Alexandra.

  58. 58.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:37 am

    One of the best Tom The Dancing Bugs I’ve seen.

  59. 59.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:38 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:38 am

    I think this is right:

    Nunes' opening statement suggests Intel Republicans didn't know Sondland was flipping until the last minute, and Nunes didn't have time to update his opening statement.

    — Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) November 20, 2019

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:39 am

    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”??

  62. 62.

    JWR

    November 20, 2019 at 9:39 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Oh yeah. I really shoulda looked that one up before posting.

  63. 63.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    DRINK!

  64. 64.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    @Betty Cracker:   Would love to see this blow up in Nunes and his howler monkeys’ faces.

  65. 65.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    Rudy!

  66. 66.

    JMG

    November 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    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!

  68. 68.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    Shorter Sondland: I didn't learn how important taking notes is in diplomat school.— emptywheel (@emptywheel) November 20, 2019

  69. 69.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:41 am

    “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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:41 am

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

     

    Tick tock, motherfuckers

  71. 71.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:41 am

    @Baud:  And Volker and Perry

  72. 72.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:41 am

    @JWR:

     

    @Gin & Tonic:

     
    Obligatory!

  73. 73.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:41 am

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

     

    Slam!

  74. 74.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:41 am

    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.

  75. 75.

    eric

    November 20, 2019 at 9:42 am

    @Leto: actually, I think he is giving them some obstruction in return for being nicer to him

  76. 76.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:42 am

    @Yarrow:   Yarrow!  Hello bud!

  77. 77.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:42 am

    @Yarrow:

     

    Love it!

  78. 78.

    Marcopolo

    November 20, 2019 at 9:42 am

    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.

  79. 79.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:43 am

    He is spilling all the tea.

  80. 80.

    Betty Cracker

    November 20, 2019 at 9:43 am

    Good lord, I can’t wait for Daniel Goldman’s questioning.

  81. 81.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:44 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     

    I’ll be in class!!!! This is torture.

  82. 82.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 9:44 am

    @Baud:

     

    Sen Ron Johnson!

  83. 83.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:44 am

    @Betty Cracker:   I wonder what the Republicans’ approach will be now?

  84. 84.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:44 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     

    I bought a pack of cigarettes, and I don’t smoke.

  85. 85.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 9:45 am

    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.

  86. 86.

    Betty Cracker

    November 20, 2019 at 9:45 am

    “We worked with Mr. Giuliani because the president directed us to do so.”

  87. 87.

    J R in WV

    November 20, 2019 at 9:45 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:45 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    @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”.

  90. 90.

    LAO

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    Holy crap!

  91. 91.

    RandomMonster

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    “…at the direction of the president.”

     

    This thing is coming apart.

  92. 92.

    Cheryl Rofer

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    At some point, some guy is not going to want to go to prison for you.

  93. 93.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    @Betty Cracker: GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

  94. 94.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    @Betty Cracker:  “We didn’t want to work with Giuliani but we did so because Trump told us we had to.” Not gonna save you, big guy.

  95. 95.

    Barbara

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    @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.

  96. 96.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:46 am

    @zhena gogolia:  PBS World Channel replays the hearings in their entirety, starting at 8pm

  97. 97.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 9:47 am

    @Betty Cracker:  No kidding. Goldman is going to destroy him. And Trump.

  98. 98.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:47 am

    @germy: PBS World Channel is antenna TV, no subscription needed.  Full hearings will also be archived on youtube, I assume.

  99. 99.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:48 am

    @Yarrow: Glad to see you tick tocking away!

  100. 100.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:49 am

    @zhena gogolia: Stop by some time when you have no class!

  101. 101.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:49 am

    At no time during this meeting—or any other meeting on this trip—was there any mention by Zelensky or any Ukrainian that they were feeling pressure to do anything in return for the military aid. https://t.co/UtTF9xBUmo— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) November 19, 2019

  102. 102.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:50 am

    @Adam L Silverman:  I have no class, and I’m here most days.

  103. 103.

    JWR

    November 20, 2019 at 9:50 am

    @Adam L Silverman:  ;)

  104. 104.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:50 am

    These are the times that call for magenta.

     

    ???☢︎??

  105. 105.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:50 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

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

  107. 107.

    Baud

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

    @zhena gogolia: Ha!

  108. 108.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

    “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.”

  109. 109.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

    @Yarrow: Like Pam Bondi, he’s also not very bright.

  110. 110.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

    @Adam L Silverman:  Likely won’t be for long. You know why. Big day, today, though. If ever there was need for a ‘tick tock, motherfuckers’ it’s today.

  111. 111.

    Leto

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

    @germy: Hunter Biden! Burisma! Whistle blower!

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

  112. 112.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

     

    I never have any class. I was told in church that I was “as subtle as a sledgehammer” in calling for prayers for our brave career professionals.

  113. 113.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:52 am

    “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.”

  114. 114.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:52 am

    @Leto:

     

    Where is Maximilian Schell when you need him?

  115. 115.

    Ladyraxterinok

    November 20, 2019 at 9:52 am

    @MattF: His wife was reported being very worried about their financial well-being because of hits on hotel chain

  116. 116.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:52 am

    @Adam L Silverman:  The Republicans’ expert counsel will dismantle Sondland’s testimony bit by bit.

     

    (this is me auditioning for a spot as a pundit on Fox News)

  117. 117.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 9:52 am

    @Adam L Silverman:  He comes across as really stupid. If even Chuck Todd is exasperated with him, you know he’s not very bright.

  118. 118.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:53 am

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

     

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

  119. 119.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:53 am

    @LAO: To paraphrase: “Rudy Giuliani – a noun, a verb, I just crapped myself!”

  120. 120.

    Cheryl Rofer

    November 20, 2019 at 9:53 am

    Sondland is specifically naming names. It’s a big bus.

  121. 121.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:53 am

    @RandomMonster: It was always going to come apart.

  122. 122.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:54 am

    The role of Volker in the made-for-TV movie will be played by the late George Gobel.

  123. 123.

    Marcopolo

    November 20, 2019 at 9:54 am

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

  124. 124.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:54 am

    @Ladyraxterinok:   Mrs. Sondland can extrapolate from what’s going on with Trump Organization hotels.

     

    They notice money in this crowd.

  125. 125.

    Leto

    November 20, 2019 at 9:54 am

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

  126. 126.

    Bruce K

    November 20, 2019 at 9:54 am

    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?

  127. 127.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:55 am

    @Cheryl Rofer:   Greyhound says “I am one tired dog!  Bring in a relief bus too!”

  128. 128.

    eric

    November 20, 2019 at 9:55 am

    @Elizabelle: I think we are gonna need a bigger bus

  129. 129.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:55 am

    @Leto:   Well, he was not taking notes.  He told us that.  But he’s got a photographic reminder!

  130. 130.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:55 am

    @germy:

     

    IT WASN’T AS OUTLANDISH AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN, RIGHT? RIGHT?

  131. 131.

    LAO

    November 20, 2019 at 9:56 am

    @Bruce K: yes

  132. 132.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 9:57 am

    @zhena gogolia:   That was so classic.  Gonna be on GOP counsel’s tombstone.

  133. 133.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 9:57 am

    @Bruce K:

     

    Да, да, да, ёлки палки!

  134. 134.

    LAO

    November 20, 2019 at 9:57 am

    Everyone is in the loop. Wow

  135. 135.

    eric

    November 20, 2019 at 9:57 am

    I see an audit in someone;s immediate future…

  136. 136.

    rikyrah

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Tangerine T???

  137. 137.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

    @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.

  138. 138.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

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

  139. 139.

    PPCLI

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

    @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.

  140. 140.

    low-tech cyclist

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

    @Cheryl Rofer: “You’re either on the bus or under the bus.” – Not Ken Kesey

  141. 141.

    Rommie

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

    That fender is getting dented repeatedly!  It’s a Grand Theft Auto bus.

  142. 142.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 9:58 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 9:59 am

    @Baud: LOL

     

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

     

    HOO BOY

  144. 144.

    LAO

    November 20, 2019 at 10:00 am

    Sondland’s decision to go with outrage is pretty effective

  145. 145.

    Jeffro

    November 20, 2019 at 10:01 am

    @Adam L Silverman: True.  There was no way it wasn’t going to come apart.

     

    If they had half a brain between them, they wouldn’t have needed to be crooks.  But…

  146. 146.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 10:01 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 10:01 am

    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?

  148. 148.

    Betty Cracker

    November 20, 2019 at 10:01 am

    @PPCLI: He’s being cagey, but it appears to me he’s only out to save his own ass, not Trump’s.

  149. 149.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 10:02 am

    @LAO:  Of course they’re in the loop. They were always in the loop. They just hoped no one would find out.

  150. 150.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:02 am

    @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.

  151. 151.

    Jeffro

    November 20, 2019 at 10:02 am

    “ASAP Rocky”!  Drink!

  152. 152.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 10:02 am

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

  153. 153.

    satby

    November 20, 2019 at 10:02 am

    @Yarrow: oh how we’ve missed that tick-tock!

  154. 154.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 10:03 am

    “Yes, there was a quid pro quo.”

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

     

    TICK FUCKING TOCK, MOTHERFUCKERS!

  155. 155.

    low-tech cyclist

    November 20, 2019 at 10:03 am

    @dmsilev: “The Worst and the Stupidest”

     

    https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1973/06/13

     

    The scary part is, Trump and his gang make Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, etc. look like geniuses by comparison.  And as ‘Deep Throat’ Mark Felt said about the Watergate crew, “The truth is these are not very bright guys and things got out of hand.” 

  156. 156.

    Steve in the ATL

    November 20, 2019 at 10:03 am

    @Baud: and lawyers

  157. 157.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 10:03 am

    @Elizabelle: Cole has one up

  158. 158.

    Ghost of Joe Lieblings Dog

    November 20, 2019 at 10:04 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 10:04 am

    @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.

  160. 160.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 10:04 am

    @Elizabelle:

     

    John already has a fresh thread up.

  161. 161.

    Elizabelle

    November 20, 2019 at 10:04 am

    @zhena gogolia:   Yeah.  Saw that.

  162. 162.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 10:04 am

    “White House Confidence Grows As Hearings Wear On.” @WashTimes This is just an attempted takedown of the Republican Party by the Do Nothing Democrats. It will never work. #2020— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2019

  163. 163.

    zhena gogolia

    November 20, 2019 at 10:05 am

    @Jeffro:

     

    I made the same comment in the thread up above!

  164. 164.

    Steve in the ATL

    November 20, 2019 at 10:05 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

     

    She’s not all that bright.

    Pretty sure Baud is a dude, but point taken

  165. 165.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 10:06 am

    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

  166. 166.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:06 am

    @zhena gogolia: Stuck inside a murderous robot on the far side of a black hole if I’m remembering correctly.

  167. 167.

    PPCLI

    November 20, 2019 at 10:06 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 10:07 am

    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.

  169. 169.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:07 am

    @germy: That guy couldn’t organize an orgy in a whore house.

  170. 170.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:08 am

    @Yarrow: Chuck Todd is an expert in not very bright.

  171. 171.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    November 20, 2019 at 10:08 am

     

    @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.

  172. 172.

    TS (the original)

    November 20, 2019 at 10:09 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Curious about faces of the GOP howler monkey types.

    Not seeing them, camera focused on Sondland

  173. 173.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    November 20, 2019 at 10:09 am

    @germy: Was he expecting a knife to be thrown before he could get the names out, a la Get Smart?

  174. 174.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:09 am

    @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.

  175. 175.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 10:10 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:  I think in Visual Mode you have to copy the entire phrase you want blockquoted, and then select the quote icon.  Opposite of how you do it in Text Mode.

     

    I could be wrong

  176. 176.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 10:11 am

    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

  177. 177.

    wvng

    November 20, 2019 at 10:12 am

    Just brought Pence in.

  178. 178.

    Mr. Mack

    November 20, 2019 at 10:12 am

    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

    November 20, 2019 at 10:12 am

    @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?

  180. 180.

    Betty Cracker

    November 20, 2019 at 10:13 am

    @PPCLI: You’re right though — it’s ridiculous that he’s playing dumb on the aid release.

  181. 181.

    wvng

    November 20, 2019 at 10:14 am

    @wvng: Not Biden, Pence.

  182. 182.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:14 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 10:14 am

    @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.

  184. 184.

    Marcopolo

    November 20, 2019 at 10:15 am

    Cole has a new thread up…

  185. 185.

    Sab

    November 20, 2019 at 10:15 am

    Go bus, go!

  186. 186.

    satby

    November 20, 2019 at 10:18 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: paste in the quote first, then highlight it and select the quote button. Allows you to type your reply as usual  below the block.

  187. 187.

    Adam L Silverman

    November 20, 2019 at 10:20 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

     

  188. 188.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    November 20, 2019 at 10:20 am

    @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)

  189. 189.

    germy

    November 20, 2019 at 10:23 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:  I think hit return twice gets you out of quote mode.

  190. 190.

    Yarrow

    November 20, 2019 at 10:24 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:  I went to Text mode, hit return to get a new line, and then clicked back to Visual. The cursor was then after the code/blockquote.

  191. 191.

    satby

    November 20, 2019 at 10:34 am

    @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.

  192. 192.

    Dmbeaster

    November 20, 2019 at 10:40 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Its from Star Trek, and refers to a training simulation for which there was no winning solution.

  193. 193.

    Geeno

    November 20, 2019 at 10:41 am

    @rikyrah: Now I’m hearing “Hey mister tangerine man” to the tune of that old 60’s song “Tambourine Man”

  194. 194.

    Couldn't Stand the Weather

    November 20, 2019 at 10:46 am

    @GregB:

     

    Like a scene from a Michael Bay movie.

  195. 195.

    Couldn't Stand the Weather

    November 20, 2019 at 10:50 am

    Help!

    Am trapped under moderation bus.

  196. 196.

    Wapiti

    November 20, 2019 at 10:56 am

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 11:10 am

    @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.

  198. 198.

    Ladyraxterinok

    November 20, 2019 at 11:55 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: At wiki it’s a text in Star Trek. Had to look it up

  199. 199.

    J R in WV

    November 20, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    @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

    November 20, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    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.

  201. 201.

    Changerous

    November 20, 2019 at 2:38 pm

    So, Sondland is actually the ‘donorbassador’.

    Whodathunk.

  202. 202.

    Changerous

    November 20, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    @Geeno: Hucking Filarious!

  203. 203.

    Bill Arnold

    November 20, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    @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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