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US embassy official says Sondland told him Trump 'doesn't give a shi* about Ukraine'
David Holmes, a political counselor based in Kyiv, spoke with congressional investigators behind closed doors on Nov. 15, and his 213-page interview transcript was released Monday evening. Holmes recounted a July 26 phone call between Sondland and Trump he overheard while sitting at a restaurant in Kyiv with Sondland and two other staffers. Holmes told the House that Sondland told Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "loves your ass," and when Trump asked if Zelensky was going to do the investigation, Sondland told him "he’s going to do it" and "will do anything you ask of him." The call took place the day after Trump’s controversial phone call with Zelensky, which sparked a whistleblower complaint. In the call, immediately after Zelensky expressed interest in purchasing anti-tank weaponry, known as Javelins, from the United States, Trump asked Zelensky "to do us a favor" by looking into a CrowdStrike conspiracy theory. The president also urged Zelensky to investigate "the other thing," referring to allegations of corruption related to Joe and Hunter Biden stemming from the younger Biden’s lucrative position on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company. Trump told Zelensky to speak with Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr.  Holmes said Sondland called Trump on his cellphone and appeared to connect through the White House switchboards. Holmes said he could overhear what Trump was saying because Trump was speaking so loudly, Sondland had to move the phone away from his ear. Could we have a look at your cellie please? Oh, you no longer have that selector? No problem, the WH communications detachment will have a record of the call. When asked whether he was concerned foreign actors such as the Russians may have intercepted the call, Holmes said, "It was surprising to me that he ‐ yes." Posted by: Besoeker 2019-11-19 |
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