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A2 us news
Wednesday 23 OctOber 2019

U.S. diplomat: Trump linked Ukraine aid to demand for probe

By LISA MASCARO, MARY private deposition were tigators because of a series
CLARE JALONICK and LAU- stunned at Taylor's ac- of text messages with the
RIE KELLMAN count, which some Demo- other diplomats in which
Associated Press crats said established a he called Trump's attempt
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top "direct line" to the quid pro to hold back military aid to
U.S. diplomat testified Tues- quo at the center of the im- Ukraine "crazy."
day that President Donald peachment probe. His testimony opens a new
Trump was holding back "It was shocking," said Rep. front in the impeachment
military aid for Ukraine un- Karen Bass, a California inquiry, and it calls into
less the country agreed to Democrat. "It was very question the account from
investigate Democrats and clear that it was required — Sondland, the U.S. ambas-
a company linked to Joe if you want the assistance, sador to the European
Biden's family, providing you have to make a public Union, who told Congress
lawmakers with a detailed statement." She character- last week that he did not
new account of the quid ized it as "it's this for that." fully remember some de-
pro quo central to the im- Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat tails of the events and was
peachment probe. from Nevada, said, "You initially unaware that the
In a lengthy opening state- Ambassador William Taylor is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police can see how damning this gas company Burisma was
ment to House investiga- as he arrives to testify before House committees as part of the is." Titus said, "This certainly tied to the Bidens.
tors, William Taylor de- Democrats' impeachment investigation of President Donald makes it pretty clear what Taylor told lawmakers that
scribed Trump's demand Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. was going on. And it was a Sondland, a wealthy busi-
Associated Press
that "everything" President quid pro quo." nessman who donated $1
Volodymyr Zelenskiy want- Ukraine would investigate to the family of Trump's po- The account reaches to million to Trump's inaugu-
ed, including vital aid to Democrats going back to tential 2020 Democratic ri- the highest levels of the ration, was aware of the
counter Russia, hinged on the 2016 U.S. election as val. administration, drawing in demands and later admit-
making a public vow that well as a company linked Taylor testified that what Vice President Mike Pence ted he made a mistake by
he discovered in Kyiv was and Trump's acting chief telling the Ukrainians that
the Trump administration's of staff, Mick Mulvaney, military assistance was not
"irregular" back channel to and slices at the core of contingent on agreeing to
foreign policy led by the the Republican defense Trump's requests.
president's personal law- of the administration and "In fact, Ambassador Sond-
yer, Rudy Giuliani, and "ul- the president's insistence of land said, 'everything' was
timately alarming circum- no wrongdoing. It also lays dependent on such an
stances" that threatened bare the struggle between announcement, including
to erode the United States' Trump's former national se- the security assistance,"
relationship with a budding curity adviser John Bolton Taylor recalled. "Ambassa-
Eastern European ally fac- and those who a previous dor Sondland told me that
ing Russian aggression. State Department witness President Trump had told
In a date-by-date ac- described as the "three him that he wants President
count, detailed across sev- amigos" — Sondland, Ener- Zelenskyy to state publicly
eral pages, the seasoned gy Secretary Rick Perry and that Ukraine will investigate
diplomat who came out special envoy Kurt Volker— Burisma and alleged Ukrai-
of retirement to take over who were involved in the nian interference in the
as charge d'affaires at the alternative Ukraine policy 2016 U.S. election," Taylor
embassy in Ukraine details vis-a-vis Russia. It's illegal to said about a Sept. 1 phone
his mounting concern as he seek or receive contribu- call between them.
realized Trump was trying tions of value from a foreign Taylor apparently kept de-
to put the newly elected entity for a U.S. election. tailed records of conversa-
president of the young de- "President Trump has done tions and documents, law-
mocracy "in a public box." nothing wrong," said White makers said.
"I sensed something odd," House press secretary The retired diplomat, a
he testified, describing a Stephanie Grisham. "This is former Army officer, had
trio of Trump officials plan- a coordinated smear cam- been serving as executive
ning a call with Zelenskiy, paign from far-left lawmak- vice president at the U.S. In-
including one, Ambas- ers and radical unelected stitute of Peace, a nonpar-
sador Gordon Sondland, bureaucrats waging war tisan think tank founded by
who wanted to make sure on the Constitution. There Congress, when he was ap-
"no one was transcribing or was no quid pro quo." pointed to run the embassy
monitoring" it. Taylor's appearance was in Kyiv after Trump suddenly
Lawmakers who emerged among the most antici- recalled Ambassador Ma-
after nearly 10 hours of the pated before House inves- ria Yovanovitch.q