Trump's envoy who denied quid pro quo now says he isn't certain

[MelissaB]

Source: Washington Post

The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, intends to tell Congress this week that the content of a text message he wrote denying a quid pro quo with Ukraine was relayed to him directly by President Trump in a phone call, according to a person familiar with his testimony.

Sondland plans to tell lawmakers he has no knowledge of whether the president was telling him the truth at that moment. “It’s only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth,” said the person familiar with Sondland’s planned testimony, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters.

The Sept. 9 exchange between Sondland and the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine has become central to the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into whether the president abused his office in pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden and his son, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. The White House and its defenders have held up Sondland’s text, which included “no quid pro quo’s of any kind,” as proof that none was ever considered.

Sondland will hold out the possibility that Trump wasn’t truthful in his denial of a quid pro quo as well as an alternative scenario in which the president’s interest in the scheme soured at a time when his administration faced mounting scrutiny over why it was withholding about $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine and delaying a leader-level visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trumps-envoy-who-denied-quid-pro-quo-now-says-he-isnt-certain/2019/10/12/4abe0902-bc19-44e8-8c38-9aa35c544859_story.html

[BumRushDaShow]

1. Beat me to it!!

[ritapria]

2. The documents will prove the existence of a quid pro quo

He's been lawyered up …....

[RockRaven]

3. That "no quid pro quo" text message is just a CYA "I'm officially denying criminality, now

let's stop documenting this convo" response by someone who has realized that the other person is purposely documenting their objection to criminal behavior and the fact that they have informed YOU that that behavior is criminal.

Sondland has got to have engaged an attorney by now, one would think, and is probably being advised how to limit his liability/risk going forward. He can't un-ring the bell, but he can sure as hell try to minimize, via spin or outright dishonesty, his role in the ringing.

[Leghorn21]

4. Oh my, could Mr. Sondland actually "do the right thing" in this pathetic drama??

Man, I hope LOSER45 gets wind of this and gets even MORE spooked

Alrighty then, Gordon, BRING IT

[cstanleytech]

8. Could simply be a case of "I am not taking a bullet for your fucking up you loser.".

[Leghorn21]

9. Agreed, c - and a tweeter pointed out that hey, this guy runs fancy hotels, he sort of has a

a bigassed, busy life - why chunk it all for LOSER45?

...I’m still skeptical about which way he’ll jump, but so far so good!!

[NonPC]

5. He Was On the Phone to His Attorney That Night

He's been lawyered up since the night of the texting -- as to leave an out or two. Guess they've now figured out which way to play it.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. It's about time that distinction be applied to lots of things

“It’s only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth”

[DrToast]

7. He should resign if he really wants to do the right thing

It sounds like he's still trying to protect Trump.

[ancianita]

10. Yah if he's still gettin' paid he's in for 45, now that Yuvanovich has testified.

[riversedge]

11. trumpy is not liking this.

[duforsure]

12. Lets see here

Lie and go to prison for trump , or tell the truth ? Sounds like he's realizing the prison for trump position isn't a good choice after all.