Sondland Will Trash Rudy in Impeachment Hearing
We werent happy with the presidents directive to talk with Rudy, he said. We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani.
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland is set to throw Rudy Giuliani under the bus when he testifies to Congress this morning. Sondland has been at the heart of the Trump administrations efforts to pressure Kyiv to investigate 2020 candidate Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and the 2016 presidential elections. But in his opening statement, which The Daily Beast obtained, he said he did not want to work with Giuliani, Trumps personal lawyer, and that he only did so because it was the only way to improve U.S.-Ukraine relations.
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, Sondland said. We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. 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 Presidents orders.
Later in his testimony, he reiterated that point.
Let me say again: We werent happy with the Presidents directive to talk with Rudy, he said. We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani.
He also said Giuliani communicated with Ukrainian government officials without our knowledge.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/gordon-sondland-will-trash-rudy-giuliani-in-impeachment-hearing