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Trump Impeachment: Key witness changes testimony over Ukraine ‘quid pro quo’

US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, key witness changes his testimony
US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, key witness changes his testimony

A key witness in President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry reversed his evidence. He said he did believe that there was a quid pro quo in which the US military aid would be denied to Ukraine.

They will stop it unless it publically launched a corruption investigation into Joe Biden.

Gordon Sondland posted as the US ambassador to the European Union. He had initially denied any knowledge of a link between the $391 million in aid resulting in the launching of an inquiry by Ukraine into his political rival.

He presents a revised statement saying, “in the absence of any credible explanation for the suspension of aid, I presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the prosed anti-corruption statement.”

According to Mr Sondland, he remembered telling a senior Ukrainian official on September 1 that the aid would “likely” be stopped. Furthermore, he mentioned, “Unless there was an investigation into Mr Biden and his son Hunter.”

Interestingly, Robert Hunter Biden sat on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Notably, the private testimony and the amended statement of Mr Sondland were released by the Democrat-led committee pursuing the impeachment inquiry.

Besides, the impeachment inquiry focused on a conversation between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on July 25th.

Shortly before the conversation with President Zelenskiy, President Trump froze their military assistance. This has resulted in accusations from democrats that he had not only misused taxpayer’s money but also jeopardise national interest for political gain.

Mr Sondland detailed when he asked whether the White House was holding the aid in return for an inquiry into Mr Baiden. He added that at that point President Trump hung upon him.

Moreover, he said, Mr Trump told him, “I want nothing. In want no quid pro quo. I want Zelenskiy to do the right thing.”