Sondland implicates top officials in "quid pro quo" Ukraine scheme

What happened at Wednesday's impeachment hearing

• Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified before the House Intelligence Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry.
• Sondland implicated President Trump and Secretary of State in a "quid pro quo" scheme to pressure Ukraine to investigate the 2016 campaign and the Bidens in exchange for a White House meeting.
• Sondland said "everyone was in the loop" about the effort.
• Read Sondland's opening statement.
• Download the free CBS News app to stream live coverage of all the impeachment hearings.

Washington -- In the most explosive testimony in the impeachment inquiry to date, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union told House lawmakers that he and other diplomats sought a "quid pro quo" arrangement with Ukraine, executing an ultimately unsuccessful scheme that was known and supported by the highest levels of government.

Ambassador Gordon Sondland implicated President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the effort to persuade Ukraine to announce supposed anti-corruption investigations in exchange for a coveted White House meeting. The investigations targeted supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 campaign and a Ukrainian gas company that had employed Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff called Sondland's testimony a "seminal moment" in the impeachment inquiry, calling his account "deeply significant and troubling."

The ambassador also said he became "absolutely convinced" by the end of August that a weeks-long delay in hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Ukraine was tied to the announcement of investigations, and had mentioned his concerns in passing to Vice President Mike Pence. He said he did not, however, have direct knowledge of a link between the delay and the investigations, and said he never discussed military assistance with the president.

Both Pence and Pompeo strongly denied Sondland's account, issuing statements saying he never raised his concerns with them.

Sondland told the House Intelligence Committee that he and other diplomats reluctantly worked "in good faith" with Rudy Giuliani "at the express direction of the president of the United States." He said senior officials back in Washington were fully aware of his outreach to top Ukrainian officials, and cited several conversations with Mr. Trump and Pompeo directly.

"The suggestion that we were engaged in some irregular or rogue diplomacy is absolutely false," Sondland said, citing emails that "show that the leadership of State, [National Security Council] and the White House were all informed about the Ukraine efforts" beginning as early as May.

"Everyone was in the loop," Sondland said. -- Stefan Becket

​Sondland implicates Pompeo and Giuliani in opening statement

9:00 a.m.: Sondland says in his opening statement that there was a "quid pro quo" scheme to arrange a White House meeting in exchange for opening investigations, contradicting testimony from witnesses on Tuesday. He also said the desire for Ukraine to open investigations into the Bidens was "no secret," and that "everyone was in the loop."

"I know that members of this Committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a 'quid pro quo?' As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes," Sondland said. He laid the blame for masterminding the quid pro quo at the feet of Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney.

"Mr. Giuliani conveyed to Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and others that President Trump wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election," Sondland said, adding that Giuliani also conveyed these messages to Ukrainian officials. "We all understood that these prerequisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump's desires and requirements."

Sondland said he informed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that he had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the July 25 call between Mr. Trump and Zelensky, recalling he had told Zelensky he should mention his intention "to run a fully transparent investigation and will 'turn over every stone.'"

Sondland said he did not know the reason aid was withheld to Ukraine, but that he "later came to believe that the resumption of security aid would not occur until there was a public statement from Ukraine committing to the investigations of the 2016 election and Burisma, as Mr. Giuliani had demanded." Sondland said he shared these concerns with Republican Senator Ron Johnson and Ukrainian officials.

Sondland mentioned the July 26 call he had with Mr. Trump, one day after Mr. Trump's call with Zelensky. David Holmes, a State Department staffer who overheard the call, testified that Sondland told him Mr. Trump "didn't give a s--- about Ukraine." Sondland said in his opening statement that he has "no reason to doubt" the accounts of witnesses who heard the call but does not recall the specifics of the conversation.

"While I cannot remember the precise details -- again, the White House has not allowed me to see any readouts of that call -- the July 26 call did not strike me as significant at the time. Actually, I would have been more surprised if President Trump had not mentioned investigations, particularly given what we were hearing from Mr. Giuliani about the President's concerns," Sondland said. He also acknowledged that Mr. Trump occasionally uses "colorful language."

Sondland implicated Pompeo and State Department leadership in his testimony, saying that "throughout these events, we kept State Department leadership and others apprised of what we were doing."

"State Department was fully supportive of our engagement in Ukraine affairs, and was aware that a commitment to investigations was among the issues we were pursuing," Sondland said. -- Grace Segers

​Schiff says "knowledge of this scheme was far and wide"

9:25 a.m.: Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Ranking Member Devin Nunes repeated key talking points in their opening statements, with Schiff condemning the president for pursuing his own political interests in Ukraine, and Nunes arguing that the impeachment inquiry is an illegitimate process.

"Trump's scheme undermined military and diplomatic support for a key ally," Schiff said, referring to the president's desire for Ukraine to open an investigation into the Bidens. "Trump put his personal and political interests above those of the United States."

In a departure from his prepared opening remarks, Schiff also condemned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his seeming approval of Sondland's actions, saying that the "knowledge of this scheme was far and wide," based on Sondland's opening statement. He called on the State Department to turn over records related to the investigation.

"We can see why Secretary Pompeo and President Trump have made such a concerted and across-the-board effort to obstruct this investigation and this impeachment inquiry," he said. "And I will just say this -- they do so at their own peril."

Meanwhile, Nunes condemned the proceedings as a "circus" and said "we get storytime first thing this morning."

Nunes also noted that "Democrats have gathered zero support from Republicans in their impeachment effort." -- Grace Segers

​Sondland says Trump ordered diplomats to work with Giuliani on Ukraine

9:39 a.m.: Sondland said he and other U.S. officials did not want to work with Giuliani on issues related to Ukraine, but were ordered to do so by the president.

"Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker and I worked with Mr. Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine matters at the express direction of the president of the United States. We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani," he said. "Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt. We all understood that if we refused to work with Mr. Giuliani, we would lose an important opportunity to cement relations between the United States and Ukraine. So we followed the president's orders."

He said the president ordered the group to "talk with Rudy" after they had returned from Zelensky's inauguration. But Sondland said they "did not believe that his role was improper at the time."

"As I previously testified, if I had known of all of Mr. Giuliani's dealings or of his associations with individuals now under criminal indictment, I would not have acquiesced to his participation," Sondland said. "Still, given what we knew at the time, what we were asked to do did not appear to be wrong." -- Stefan Becket

​Sondland: Trump said Ukraine "tried to take him down" in 2016

9:49 a.m.: At a meeting at the White House upon returning from Zelensky's inauguration in May, Sondland said he and other members of the U.S. delegation tried to persuade the president that Zelensky could be trusted as a reformer, and urged Mr. Trump to speak to Zelensky on the phone and invite him to the White House.

The president was not receptive, Sondland said.

"Unfortunately, President Trump was skeptical. He expressed concerns that the Ukrainian government was not serious about reform," the ambassador testified. "He even mentioned that Ukraine tried to take him down in the last election."

Despite "persistent efforts" to change Mr. Trump's mind, the president directed the group to "talk with Rudy."

"Based on the president's direction, we were faced with a choice: We could abandon the efforts to schedule the White House phone call and White House visit between Presidents Trump and Zelensky, which was unquestionably in our foreign policy interest, or we could do as President Trump had directed and 'talk with Rudy,'" Sondland said. "We chose the latter course -- not because we liked it, but because it was the only constructive path open to us." -- Stefan Becket

​Sondland: "No reason" to doubt accounts of July 26 call with Trump

10:01 a.m.: Sondland confirmed he spoke with Mr. Trump on the phone the day after the July 25 call while at a cafe in Kiev, a conversation that was overheard by several other aides.

"I have no reason to doubt that this conversation included the subject of investigations," he said.

"I would have been more surprised if President Trump had not mentioned investigations, particularly given what we were hearing from Mr. Giuliani about the president's concerns," Sondland added. "However, I have no recollection of discussing Vice President Biden or his son on that call or after the call ended." -- Stefan Becket

​Sondland says Zelensky raised delay in aid with Pence

10:10 a.m.: Sondland recounted a meeting in Warsaw between Zelensky and Vice President Mike Pence in September, when Zelensky raised concerns about the delay in nearly $400 million in military aid.

"I mentioned to Vice President Pence before the meetings with the Ukrainians that I had concerns that the delay in aid had become tied to the issue of investigations," Sondland said. "I recall mentioning that before the Zelensky meeting."

Sondland said Zelensky raised the issue with Pence directly. The vice president, Sondland said, replied that he "would speak to President Trump about it."

After the meeting, Sondland said he had a brief conversation with Andriy Yermak, a top Zelensky aide.

"I told Mr. Yermak that I believed that the resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine took some kind of action on the public statement that we had been discussing for many weeks," Sondland said. -- Stefan Becket

​Sondland says Bolton asked for Giuliani's contact information in late August

10:11 a.m.: Sondland emphasized in his opening statement that former National Security Adviser John Bolton's office requested Giuliani's contact information in late August.

"Curiously, on August 26, shortly before his visit to Kiev, Ambassador Bolton's office requested

Mr. Giuliani's contact information. I sent Ambassador Bolton the information directly," Sondland said. Sondland also said he found this request "odd." -- Grace Segers

​Sondland: State Department was "fully supportive" of Ukraine efforts

10:15 a.m.: Sondland said he and his colleagues "kept State Department leadership and others apprised of what we were doing" for months, and that the "State Department was fully supportive of our engagement in Ukraine affairs."

Sondland quoted a September 3 email from Pompeo, in which Pompeo said Sondland was "doing great work" and told him to "keep banging away."

"State Department leadership expressed total support for our efforts to engage the new Ukrainian administration," Sondland said.

Sondland added in the conclusion of his opening remarks that "not once do I recall encountering objection" to his actions in Ukraine. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland denies mentioning Biden in July 26 call with Trump

10:20 a.m.: Sondland largely corroborated State Department staffer David Holmes' testimony about a phone call Holmes overheard between Sondland and Mr. Trump on July 26 where the ambassador and the president discussed "investigations." However, Sondland disputed Holmes' account that he mentioned the Bidens to the president.

"I never recalled saying 'Biden,'" Sondland said. He corroborated every other part of Holmes' testimony about the call.

Sondland said he later learned requests to investigate Burisma were synonymous with investigating the Bidens.

"Today I know exactly what it means. I didn't know at the time," Sondland said. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland says "no quid pro quo" text not meant as defense of Trump

10:28 a.m.: Sondland discussed his text message to Bill Taylor, the top diplomat in Ukraine, on September 9 after speaking with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump told him in the call that there was "no quid pro quo."

"It was a very short abrupt conversation. He was not in a good mood," Sondland said about his call with Mr. Trump. "He just said, 'I want nothing, I want nothing, I want no quid pro quo.'"

Sondland said his subsequent text to Taylor conveying Mr. Trump's words was "not to defend what the president was saying, not to opine on whether the president was being truthful or untruthful, but simply to relay I've gone as far as I can this is the final word that I heard."

Sondland also took a jab at the State Department for not providing him with records relating to his actions in Ukraine, saying he couldn't remember the exact date of his call with Mr. Trump because "I can't find the records and they won't provide them to me." -- Grace Segers

​Sondland: Ukraine "didn't actually have to do" the investigations

10:32 a.m.: Sondland testified that Mr. Trump wanted Ukraine to announce it was opening investigations into the 2016 election and Burisma, but Zelensky did not necessarily have to go through with them.

"He had to announce the investigations. He didn't actually have to do them," Sondland said, undercutting Republicans' argument that Mr. Trump wanted Zelensky to pursue investigations because he was concerned about corruption in Ukraine.

Sondland was asked by Schiff whether he thought Mr. Trump refused to release assistance to Ukraine unless the investigations were announced.

"That was my belief," Sondland said. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland on "loves your ass" quote: "That sounds like something I would say"

10:38 a.m.: Discussing his July 26 phone call with Mr. Trump, Sondland confirmed Holmes' testimony that Sondland told Mr. Trump that Zelensky "loves your ass."

"That sounds like something I would say," Sondland said, to laughter. "That's how President Trump and I communicate -- a lot of four-letter words. In this case, three-letter."

Sondland said that he communicated to the president in "Trump-speak" that Zelensky would "would work with us on a whole host of issues."

However, Sondland disputed Holmes' account that he told Holmes Mr. Trump only cared about "big stuff," like the investigation into the Bidens. Sondland said he did not recall mentioning the Bidens to Holmes, and believes he would have told Holmes that Mr. Trump was "not a big fan" of Ukraine. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland "absolutely convinced" delay in aid was linked to investigations

10:58 a.m.: Sondland said it became "common knowledge that everything might be tied together" toward the end of August, meaning the release of aid was tied to an announcement by Ukraine about opening investigations.

Democratic counsel Daniel Goldman asked Sondland if the "only logical conclusion" is that the release of military aid was part of the quid pro quo.

"Yup," Sondland replied.

However, he said Mr. Trump never directly told him that aid was contingent on an announcement.

"The aid was my own personal guess," Sondland said. "I never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on the announcement of [investigations]."

"I don't recall talking to President Trump about any security assistance ever," he said, but he was nonetheless "absolutely convinced" the delay was tied to investigations. -- Grace Segers

​Pence's office disputes Sondland's testimony

11:31 a.m.: Vice President Mike Pence's office disputed Sondland's testimony that the two had spoken about Mr. Trump's desire for Ukraine to open investigations into the 2016 elections and Burisma.

"The Vice President never had a conversation with Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid to Ukraine based upon potential investigations," Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, said in a statement. "Ambassador Gordon Sondland was never alone with Vice President Pence on the September 1 trip to Poland. This alleged discussion recalled by Ambassador Sondland never happened."

Sondland said in his opening statement that he raised concerns to Pence on September 1 before a meeting with Zelensky in Warsaw. He did not claim to have spoken with Pence alone, saying only that he mentioned it in a group meeting before Pence's conversation with Zelensky.

"I mentioned to Vice President Pence before the meetings with the Ukrainians that I had concerns that the delay in aid had become tied to the issue of investigations," Sondland said. "I recall mentioning that before the Zelensky meeting."

Sondland said Zelensky raised the issue with Pence directly. The vice president, Sondland said, replied that he "would speak to President Trump about it."

Pence's office said that "multiple witnesses have testified under oath that Vice President Pence never raised Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden, Crowdstrike, Burisma, or investigations in any conversation with Ukrainians or President Zelensky before, during, or after the September 1 meeting in Poland." -- Grace Segers

​Trump on Sondland: "This is not a man I know well"

11:44 a.m.: Mr. Trump briefly addressed reporters outside the White House, saying he did not know Sondland well but told him he wanted "nothing" from Ukraine when they spoke in September.

"I have not spoken to him much. This is not a man I know well. He seems like a nice guy though," Mr. Trump said about Sondland, who donated $1 million to his inauguration and whom Mr. Trump nominated to his current position. According to other witnesses, Sondland boasted about his ability to reach Mr. Trump.

Reading from handwritten notes, Mr. Trump also said that the "final word from the president of the United States" was that "I want nothing" from Ukraine. -- Grace Segers

Read more here.

Sondland denies being part of "irregular channel" on Ukraine policy

12:03 p.m.: Sondland pushed back on the idea that he and others formed an "irregular channel" of policy-making on Ukraine, rebutting testimony from other officials at the State Department and National Security Council.

"I don't know how someone could characterize something as an irregular channel when you're talking to the president of the United States, the secretary of state, the national security adviser, the chief of staff of the White House, the secretary of energy," Sondland said. "I don't know how they can consider us to be the irregular channel and they to be the regular channel when it's the leadership that makes the decisions."

Sondland said no one raised concerns about an "irregular channel" to him.

"No one said, 'Back off of Ukraine, this is dangerous, you are doing something that is untoward. We have concerns, there was a bad phone call on July 25, there is talk about a drug cocktail' or something," Sondland said. "No one ever said that to me by phone, by text, by email - I don't remember anybody sounding any alarm bell because of course, had someone mentioned it, I would have sat up and taken notice."

"Everyone's hair was on fire, but no one decided to talk to us," Sondland added. -- Grace Segers

​White House says Democrats "keep chasing ghosts"

12:45 p.m.: White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement reacting to Sondland's testimony, seizing on Sondland's account of his September phone call with the president.

"Ambassador Sondland's testimony made clear that in one of the few brief phone calls he had with President Trump, the President clearly stated that he 'wanted nothing' from Ukraine and repeated 'no quid pro quo over and over again,'" Grisham said. "In fact, no quid pro quo ever occurred. The U.S. aid to Ukraine flowed, no investigation was launched, and President Trump has met and spoken with President Zelensky. Democrats keep chasing ghosts." -- Stefan Becket

​Giuliani deletes tweet saying he had "VERY little contact" with Sondland

12:55 p.m.: Giuliani wrote and subsequently deleted a tweet saying he had "VERY little contact" with Sondland.

"I came into this at Volker's request. Sondland is speculating based on VERY little contact. I never met him and had very few calls with him, mostly with Volker. Volker testified I answered their questions and described them as my opinions, NOT demands. I.E., no quid pro quo!" Giuliani wrote. However, Volker and Sondland have testified that Mr. Trump told them to "talk to Rudy" about issues related to Ukraine.

Sondland testified that he, Volker, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry worked with Giuliani on Ukraine. In earlier testimony in October, Sondland said he did not recall "ever having met with Mr. Giuliani in person" during his time as ambassador and had spoken only a few times.

Sondland said he didn't see Mr. Trump's request that he talk to Giuliani about Ukraine as an order, but still thought it was important.

"It was, if you want to work on this, this is the guy you have to talk to," Sondland said. "President Trump was not very interested in engaging. He wanted Rudy to handle it." -- Grace Segers

Update, 1:52 p.m.: Giuliani sent the tweet again, with the same wording.

​Pompeo says he hasn't seen Sondland's testimony, defends Ukraine record

1:35 p.m.: Speaking to reporters in Brussels where he was meeting with NATO allies, Pompeo said he hadn't seen Sondland's testimony and defended the administration's policy toward Ukraine.

"I didn't see a single thing today. I was working. Sounds like you might not have been," he said in response to a reporter's question.

"I'm not going to recuse myself from this," he added. "I know precisely what American policy was with respect to Ukraine. I was working on it, and I'm very proud of what we've accomplished. There were remarkable outcomes for the Ukrainian people." -- Stefan Becket

​Members begin 5-minute rounds of questioning

1:45 p.m.: After the Democratic and Republican counsels questioned Sondland in two rounds of questioning, committee members began their five-minute rounds of questioning. The order of the lawmakers questioning Sondland is as follows:

• Adam Schiff, Democrat of California
• Devin Nunes, Republican of California
• Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut
• Mike Conaway, Republican of Texas
• Terri Sewell, Democrat of Alabama
• Michael Turner, Republican of Ohio
• Andre Carson, Democrat of Indiana
• Brad Wenstrup, Republican of Ohio
• Jackie Speier, Democrat of California
• Chris Stewart, Republican of Utah
• Mike Quigley, Democrat of Illinois
• Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York
• Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California
• Will Hurd, Republican of Texas
• Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas
• John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas
• Denny Heck, Democrat of Washington
• Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio
• Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont
• Sean Patrick Maloney, Democrat of New York
• Val Demings, Democrat of Florida
• Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois

Thirteen Democrats and nine Republicans are questioning Sondland. Members can yield their time to colleagues. -- Grace Segers

​Trump tweets: "Impeachment Witch Hunt is now OVER!"

1:59 p.m.: Mr. Trump weighed in on Sondland's testimony on Twitter, quoting Sondland's account of their September conversation:

The tweets come after Mr. Trump told reporters he did not know Sondland well, but that he "seems like a nice guy." -- Grace Segers

​GOP rep slams Sondland's testimony as "nothing"

2:15 p.m.: Republican Congressman Mike Turner slammed Sondland for his "presumption" that the release of military aid to Ukraine was conditioned on announcing investigations, saying it amounted to "nothing."

"You really have no testimony today that ties President Trump to a scheme to withhold aid from Ukraine in exchange for these investigations," Turner said. Sondland replied, "Other than my own presumption."

"Which is nothing!" Turner said.

"No one on this planet told you President Trump was tying aid to investigations. Yes or no," Turner asked Sondland.

"Yes," Sondland replied.

In response, Schiff said Mr. Trump would have to say "Ambassador Sondland, I am bribing the Ukrainian president" to convince Republicans he did something wrong. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland says he has a "professional, cordial working relationship" with Trump

2:41 p.m.: Sondland reacted to Mr. Trump earlier comments that he doesn't know Sondland well, saying he and the president were not "close friends" but have a "professional, cordial working relationship."

"It really depends on what you mean by 'know well.' We are not close friends. We have a professional, cordial working relationship," Sondland said.

Sondland also acknowledged he gave $1 million to purchase a "VVIP ticket" to Mr. Trump's inauguration, which he characterized as "a lot of money."

Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell if he had talked to Mr. Trump "often," noting Sondland said he had spoken to Mr. Trump on the phone around 20 times.

"If that's often, then it's often," Sondland said. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland says he called Trump after becoming "exasperated" by confusion over Ukraine

2:46 p.m.: Asked by GOP Representative Will Hurd about his decision in September to call the president to ask what he wanted in Ukraine, Sondland said he had become "exasperated" by the turn of events.

Sondland said the situation with Ukraine was at an impasse, with aid delayed and no White House meeting scheduled. He said he heard many explanations for the standstill.

"I finally got exasperated by receiving Ambassador Taylor's latest text, and I just picked up the phone. I got through to the president and I said, 'What do you want?'"

As Sondland previously testified, and as Mr. Trump reiterated Wednesday, Mr. Trump claimed he wanted "nothing" from Ukraine and for Zelensky to "do the right thing." -- Kathryn Watson

​Sondland says he "would have preferred" Trump meet with Zelensky without conditions

3:14 p.m.: Sondland testified he and "everyone would have preferred" that Mr. Trump simply meet with Zelensky without any conditions "right away."

He said he thought Zelensky and Mr. Trump would get on "famously," and "chemistry would take over."

"That's why we were pushing for a quick, unconditional meeting," Sondland said. -- Grace Segers

​Sondland acknowledges Biden probe would benefit Trump

3:22 p.m.: Under questioning from Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, Sondland reluctantly acknowledged he "assumed President Trump would" benefit from an investigation into the Bidens.

"Who would benefit from an investigation of the president's political opponents?" Maloney asked.

"Presumably the person who asked for the investigation," Sondland replied.

Maloney then asked who would benefit from an investigation of the Bidens.

Sondland responded: "I assume President Trump would."

"There we have it, see! Didn't hurt a bit, did it?" Maloney replied, to laughter and applause.

Sondland he resented the implication that he wasn't being forthcoming, insisting he had relayed his experience to the best of his recollection. Maloney reacted angrily.

"Fair enough. You've been very forthright? This is your third try to do so, sir. Didn't work so well the first time, did it? We had a little declaration come in after, remember that?" Maloney said, referring to Sondland's revision of his original October testimony. "And now we're here a third time, and we got a doozy of a statement from you this morning. There's a whole bunch of stuff you don't recall. So all due respect, sir, we appreciate your candor, but let's be really clear on what it took to get it out of you." -- Grace Segers