http://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/23/gordon-sondland-william-taylor-ukraine-testimony-055825“It appears that Sondland … and Taylor disagree only on whether Sondland knew that there was a linkage in aid,” said the associate. “On all other points (that they wanted the aid restored, wanted a WH visit for [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky, didn’t want to have to deal with Rudy [Giuliani], etc.) they are aligned.”
----No problem here.
“I think Sondland would say that, like everyone, they speculated about the aid linkage, but never knew,” the associate continued. “No one, least of all Taylor, suggests that Sondland had any role in the aid cutoff; the only question is whether Sondland had heard that from Trump (or Volker or Giuliani).”
----Note, "speculated." but did not know.
Sondland’s associate noted that Sondland himself acknowledged one component of the alleged quid pro quo Trump hung over Zelensky: that a White House meeting for Zelensky was put on hold pending a public statement from the Ukrainian president that he would launch two investigations demanded by Trump.
----So, the only quid pro quo they actually KNEW about was that Trump wanted something from the Ukraine president before he would MEET with him. Hmmmm. That's a lot less than withholding military aid, I'd say.
Those investigations included a probe into a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine -- not Russia -- hacked a Democratic server during the 2016 e******n, as well as an investigation of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company for whom Joe Biden’s son H****r sat on the board.
----Hmmm. No mention of Joe, the candidate, Biden. Hmmm. And a "debunked" conspiracy theory? Why is that getting so much press if it's "debunked?"
Sondland told lawmakers that he didn’t understand Burisma to be “code for Biden” when he spoke to Trump and that he and Taylor worked together on the statement Trump wanted Zelensky to make.
----Yes, code for H****r B***n. Not Joe Biden, who actually got the investigator looking into Burissma fired, according to Joe Biden himself. Oooops. It just might be code for Joe Biden!
Regardless of the discrepancy between Sondland and Taylor over aid, Sondland’s associate said even if the E.U. ambassador had known of Trump’s full intentions he would have been just “a witness” -- not an active participant in the decision to withhold aid, which he opposed.
----Would have only been a witness to withholding aid. WOULD HAVE but wasn't. I seee a pattern here!!!!
Taylor indicated that he pressed Sondland in text messages about whether Ukrainian military aid was conditioned on Trump’s demand for investigations into Burisma and 2016. And Sondland replied by asking for a phone call.
----In Sondland's opening statement, he said that request was, essentially, because he was getting itred of the long texting conversation.
“During that phone call, Ambassador Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President Zelensky to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U. S. e******n,” Taylor testified.
----No argument here.
In a set of text messages provided to House investigators, Sondland on Sept. 9 assured Taylor that there were in fact “no quid pro quos” of any kind authorized by the president. Rather, Trump’s goal in Ukraine, he said, was about t***sparency and fighting corruption.
----That says it all.
Sondland, a political appointee who was a major donor to Trump’s 2016 campaign, sought to circumvent normal diplomatic channels to pressure Zelensky. He sought to align himself with the career State Department officials who have raised significant concerns about Trump’s posture toward Ukraine, as well as the president’s personal attorney,
----But Politico just couldn't resist adding their anti-Trump twist!
After Sondland testified, several Democratic lawmakers panned his performance as underwhelming, claiming he often used the phrase “I cannot recall” and could not remember specific details. And some lawmakers even suggested that Sondland perjured himself.
----T***slation, Sondland didn't help their narrative!
Taylor testified that Sondland told him that “everything” — including critical military aid and a meeting between Trump and Zelensky — was contingent on the Ukrainians publicly announcing investigations targeting Trump’s political rivals.
----Wow. How contradictory to what Sondland has said. More he said/she said. All of the sudden we have one guy, linking military aid to Trumps wanting investigations. Where are the others???
Sondland also said, according to Taylor, that Trump personally told him that . . . .
----This entire drama is based upon what someone said another told someone else what they heard. This is what happens when whistle blower can bring their complaint not based upon first hand information.
“Ambassador Sondland tried to explain to me that President Trump is a businessman. When a businessman is about to sign a check to someone who owes him something, he said, the businessman asks that person to pay up before signing the check,” Taylor said, according to his opening statement.
----Another uncorroborated claim. And even in the ext messages, it's about meeting with the president, not military aid.
Taken as a whole, this sounds like a whole lot of hyped fiction/hearsay/BS for lack of a better term. I'd like to see Taylor's and Schiff's texts and emails AND their call history.