On Wednesday as U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland appeared before a House impeachment committee, Donald Trump spoke to reporters before departing for Texas, claiming that Sondland had previously exonerated him of any allegations of a quid pro quo. Yet, reportedly, Sondland’s testimony spelled out that the president had directed Rudy Giuliani and others to pressure Ukraine’s government to investigate a chief political opponent in exchange for aid allotted to the country by Congress.
According to The Washington Post , Trump was about an hour late departing for Austin to tour an Apple facility and to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook when he stopped to recite a speech from a packet of notes. During the short statement, he referred to Sondland’s previous comments that Trump didn’t push for a quid pro quo, a statement that the ambassador has since retracted.
While speaking, Trump animatedly recounted his conversations with the diplomat and claimed that today’s impeachment hearings were unnecessary.
“That means it’s all over. What do you want from Ukraine, he asks me. What do you want from Ukraine? I keep seeing all these ideas and theories,” Trump said, according to The Hill .
“Here is my response that he just gave. Ready? You have the cameras rolling? That’s what I want from Ukraine,” Trump added. “I want nothing — I said it twice.”
Trump then attempted to distance himself from Sondland, saying that he wasn’t well acquainted with the man.
“I don’t know him very well. I have not spoken to him much. This is not a man I know well. He seems like a nice guy though,” Trump said.
President @realDonaldTrump speaks to reporters before he leaves to tour a new @Apple Manufacturing Plant in Austin, TX!
The president is bringing jobs back to America while Democrats continue their #SchiffShow on Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/zzYQs5IFQa
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) November 20, 2019
The president also refuted claims that he was in a bad mood during the phone call at the center of the controversy and impeachment investigation, saying that he is “always in a good mood” and didn’t understand “what that is.”
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Sondland testified on Wednesday in a highly anticipated appearance before a House impeachment committee. During the hearing, he purportedly claimed that Trump was clear about wanting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and the company Burisma.
Sondland said that Trump wanted his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to coordinate with the country an announcement that it was going to open an investigation and that many people in the Trump administration were clear about the situation. Sondland’s testimony is reportedly in direct contradiction to the president’s claims that he did not engage in any sort of quid pro quo.
