Sondland deals reeling Trump another blow

The 'read the transcript' defense just got even less plausible

Gordon Sondland.
(Image credit: Illustrated | AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Bill Chizek/iStock, Aerial3/iStock)

Gordon Sondland, the wildly unqualified U.S. ambassador to the European Union and one of the central figures in President Trump's off-off-off-Broadway Ukraine extortion conspiracy, this week revised his previous testimony from October and admitted that there had, indeed, been a quid pro quo at the heart of the matter currently roiling American politics.

Saying that he had "refreshed my recollection," in the wake of last month's 10-hour testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland confirmed in a three-page addendum that nearly $400 million in military assistance was held up over the summer by the Trump administration as it sought a public announcement from newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky that he was opening an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter as well as Ukraine's alleged role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It was a reminder that nothing "refreshes your memory" like seeing other people swear that you just lied under oath to Congress.

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.