Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needed to publicly announce an investigation - not actually conduct a probe - of a Ukrainian energy company linked to Joe and Hunter Biden, as well as allegations of Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, to win a White House audience with President Donald Trump, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland said in a congressional testimony on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2019) Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needed to publicly announce an investigation - not actually conduct a probe - of a Ukrainian energy company linked to Joe and Hunter Biden, as well as allegations of Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, to win a White House audience with President Donald Trump, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland said in a congressional testimony on Monday."He had to announce the investigations. He didn't actually have to do them as I understood it," Sondland told the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee during the impeachment inquiry hearing of Trump.
Sondland previously told the Intelligence Committee that Zelenskyy's needed to announce the two investigations to obtain not only the White House meeting, but also win the release of nearly $400 million in approved US military aid.
Soundland's testimony - mostly based on first-hand knowledge - is some of the strongest to date linking a Ukrainian announcement with both a White House meeting and US military aid.
Republican lawmakers countered Soundland confirmed during the hearing that Trump said he did not seek quid pro quo in his dealings with Ukraine and the country's leaders never made an announcement of an investigation, while the White House meeting took place and the military aid was released.
