Oct 13, 2019

Congress to return from recess to week of revealing Ukraine testimony

Axios

Reporters watch as Rep. Jim Jordan arrives Friday for a closed-door deposition by Marie Yovanovitch. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

As Congress returns from break this week, at least 2 witnesses plan revealing testimonies in off-camera depositions for House investigators.

Driving the news: On Monday, Fiona Hill, former senior director for Europe and Russia on President Trump's National Security Council, plans to testify that Rudy Giuliani and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland circumvented normal process "to pursue a shadow policy on Ukraine," NBC News reports.

On Thursday, 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," the WashPost's Aaron Davis and John Hudson report.

  • "It’s only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth," a person familiar with Sondland’s testimony told the Post.

Go deeper: What matters most in the Trump-Ukraine scandal

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Zachary Basu

Ex-Trump Russia adviser to testify after subpoena from House Democrats

Fiona Hill, President Trump's former Russia adviser, arrives at the Capitol to testify before Congress. Photo: Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

President Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill arrived on Capitol Hill to testify in the House's Ukraine investigation Monday after receiving a subpoena from the Democratic-led committees leading the impeachment inquiry, her attorney confirmed on Twitter.

Why it matters: Hill, who left her role as Trump's top Russia aide in August, is expected to testify that Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland "circumvented [the administration] to pursue a shadow foreign policy on Ukraine," according to NBC News. That policy included pushing Ukraine to open investigations into the 2016 presidential election and unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Joe Biden and his son.

Go deeper: Fiona Hill document request outlines Democrats' impeachment roadmap

Keep ReadingArrowOct 14, 2019
Rebecca Falconer

Sondland "does not recall" Ukraine aid threat, lawyer tells WashPost

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland (C) arrives at the Capitol on Oct. 17. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland disputes aspects of congressional testimony by the top American diplomat in Ukraine and he "does not recall" anything about threatening Ukraine over aid, his attorney told the Washington Post Wednesday.

Why it matters: Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor testified Tuesday that Sondland communicated to Ukrainian officials that President Trump wanted military aid to Ukraine to be conditional on them agreeing to investigate natural gas firm Burisma, for which former Vice President Joe Biden's son worked, and alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election in a quid pro quo, which Trump has long denied.

Go deeperArrowOct 24, 2019
Rebecca Falconer

WSJ: Sondland told House panels Trump's Ukraine action was quid pro quo

Gordon Sondland. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland told House investigators last week the actions of President Trump and his allies over Ukraine "amounted to a quid pro quo," his attorney told the Wall Street Journal Saturday.

Why it matters: The issue of alleged quid pro quo involving Trump and Ukraine is central to the House inquiry into his possible impeachment. The president and his allies have long denied any quid pro quo took place.

Go deeperArrowOct 27, 2019