Gordon Sondland's opening statement for public impeachment hearing offers key admissions

Sondland details his interactions with President Trump and Ukraine.

ByABC NEWS
November 20, 2019, 9:12 PM

If there's one witness in the House impeachment inquiry who could speak to exactly what President Donald Trump wanted in Ukraine, it would be Gordon Sondland and he's testifying in public for the first time on Wednesday.

In his opening statement, Sondland offered a key admission: that during a July 10 meeting at the White House with senior Ukrainian officials, he mentioned "the pre-requisite of investigations before any White House call or meeting."

In previous testimony, Sondland said he couldn't recall exactly what he said in that meeting and in another meeting with Ukrainian officials the same day.

In his own testimony, Lt. Col Alex Vindman, who participated in both meetings, recalled that Sondland insisted "the Ukrainians would have to deliver an investigation into the Bidens."

Read Sondland's opening statement:

Wednesday evening, Laura Cooper, a Pentagon official and David Hale, a top State Department official, testified before the lawmakers.

Read Cooper's opening statement:

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