UPDATE: President Trump explains why Sondland shouldn't testify.
....to see. Importantly, Ambassador Sondland’s tweet, which few report, stated, “I believe you are incorrect about President Trump’s intentions. The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo’s of any kind.” That says it ALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2019
ORIGINAL POST
The State Department has barred Gordon Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the EU, from testifying before Congress on Tuesday. He was scheduled to appear before a few House committees and answer questions about his role in the controversy over Ukraine as part of the Democrats' impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. And he had already made the trip to Washington.
Breaking — Ambassador Gordon Sondland has been told by the State Department to not appear this morning before the House regarding his role in the Ukraine scandal. His attorney said he has no choice but to comply.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 8, 2019
Lawyer for Gordon Sondland, EU ambassador involved in Ukraine affair, says he was blocked from testifying early this morning by the State Department. He is “profoundly disappointed” after traveling from Brussels, lawyer says, and still wants to testify. pic.twitter.com/LOaOlwm7Jb
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 8, 2019
The whistleblower complaint against Trump last month described a phone conversation between him and Ukrainian President Zelensky regarding Joe Biden and his son Hunter's ties to Ukraine. According to the whistleblower's secondhand knowledge, Trump asked Zelensky to investigate the Bidens' relationship to a corrupt Ukrainian gas company. Some reports suggested Trump had also threatened to withhold military aid from Ukraine, and therefore was guilty of quid pro quo. But, the phone transcript, which the White House released, did not provide credence to that claim. Trump also insists his asking Zelensky about Biden was about weeding about corruption, not politics.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated accordingly.
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