{"slug":"trump-sondland-quid-pro-quo-everyone-was-in-the-loop","title":"Sondland Testimony: 'Everyone Was in the Loop' on Ukraine Quid Pro Quo","date":"2019-11-20","lastUpdated":"2019-11-20","description":"Gordon Sondland, Trump's EU Ambassador and a major Republican donor who had paid $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, testified before the House impeachment inquiry on November 20, 2019, and stated that 'there was a quid pro quo' in the Ukraine affair and that 'everyone was in the loop' — including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and National Security Advisor John Bolton. Sondland had previously testified that he was unaware of any quid pro quo; he amended his testimony after other witnesses contradicted him.","summary":"Sondland had originally testified in closed session that he had no knowledge of a quid pro quo involving military aid. After two other diplomats — William Taylor and Tim Morrison — submitted testimony contradicting Sondland's account, Sondland submitted a supplemental declaration amending his prior testimony to acknowledge he had told a Ukrainian official that the release of military assistance would likely not occur until Ukraine announced investigations. In his public testimony, Sondland went further, naming Pompeo, Mulvaney, and Bolton as aware of the arrangement and stating the quid pro quo was explicit.","category":"rule-of-law","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/politics/sondland-testimony.html","title":"Sondland Testimony: 'There Was a Quid Pro Quo' on Ukraine","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sondland-says-trump-directed-ukraine-quid-pro-quo-pompeo-mulvaney-also-implicated/2019/11/20/aafed7a8-0b6e-11ea-bd9d-c628fd48b3a0_story.html","title":"Sondland says Trump directed Ukraine quid pro quo","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/sondland-testimony-quid-pro-quo-everyone-loop","title":"Sondland: Everyone in the loop on Ukraine quid pro quo","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Sondland","Ukraine","quid-pro-quo","impeachment","first-term","Pompeo","Mulvaney"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2019-10-17","title":"Sondland initial closed-door testimony","summary":"Sondland testifies in closed session and provides testimony that he was unaware of any quid pro quo linking military aid to investigations. Other witnesses will subsequently contradict this account."},{"date":"2019-11-04","title":"Sondland amends testimony after contradictions","summary":"After Taylor's and Morrison's testimony contradicts his account, Sondland submits an amended declaration acknowledging he had told a Ukrainian official that military assistance was probably conditioned on Ukraine announcing investigations."},{"date":"2019-11-20","title":"Sondland testifies publicly — 'everyone was in the loop'","summary":"Sondland testifies publicly before the House Intelligence Committee, stating there was an explicit quid pro quo, that it involved military aid and a White House meeting, and that Pompeo, Mulvaney, Bolton, and Perry were all in the loop."},{"date":"2020-02-07","title":"Sondland fired two days after Senate acquittal","summary":"Two days after Trump is acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial, Sondland is told his services are no longer required. Gordon Sondland had donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee to obtain the ambassador appointment."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Constitutional order; Ukraine's security; congressional oversight processes; integrity of foreign policy","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; directed Ukraine quid pro quo per Sondland's testimony","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Gordon Sondland","role":"EU Ambassador; acknowledged quid pro quo; named senior officials as being in the loop","institution":"U.S. State Department"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-02-07","summary":"Updated with Sondland firing."}]}}