Republican Congressman Mike Turner went off on U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland Wednesday afternoon for implying in his opening statement that President Trump ordered a quid-pro-quo over aid to Ukraine. According to Sondland's testimony later in the hearing, President Trump never ordered a quid-pro-quo and never asked him to do anything improper.
Turner: "After you testified, Chairman Schiff ran out and gave a press conference and said he gets to impeach the president of the United States because of your testimony and if you pull up CNN today, right now their banner says, 'Sondland ties Trump to withholding aid.' Is that your testimony today Ambassador Sondland? That you have evidence that Donald Trump tied the investigations to the aid? Because I don't think you're saying that."
Sondland: "I've said repeatedly congressman that I was presuming. I also said that President Trump never..."
Turner: "So nobody else on this planet told you that Donald Trump was tying aid to these investigations?"
Sondland: "Yes."
Turner: "So you really have no testimony today that ties President Trump to a scheme to withhold aid from Ukraine in exchange for these investigations."
Sondland: "Other than my own presumption."
Turner: "Which is nothing!"
Rep. Mike Turner grills Ambassador Gordon Sondland on Capitol Hill: "You do not have any evidence that the president of the United States was tied to withholding aid from Ukraine in exchange for investigations." pic.twitter.com/fT2p82DauK
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 20, 2019
A reminder of what Sondland said:
Sondland testifies he asked @realDonaldTrump, "What do you want [from Ukraine]?"
— BlazeTV (@BlazeTV) November 20, 2019
Trump reportedly responded: "I want nothing, I want nothing, I want no quid pro quo, just tell Zelensky to do the right thing." pic.twitter.com/7fuSVHgumR
As Turner noted, CNN and other news outlets are running headlines stating President Trump did issue a quid-pro-quo and tied Ukraine aid to investigations. In other words, Sondland's opening statement created a barrage of fake news headlines.
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