Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko said Thursday that U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland had “never” linked U.S. aid to Ukrainian investigations of the 2016 elections or the Biden’s role in stopping a probe of Burisma.
Prystaiko spoke the day after the first public hearings in the House Intelligence Committee as part of the “impeachment inquiry,” where two witnesses said they came to believe there had been such a link — though only some time after Politico reported on August 28 that aid had been held up by the Trump administration.
One of the witnesses, Chargé d’affaires Bill Taylor, introduced new evidence that a staffer told him recently that he overheard Sondland speaking to President Donald Trump the day after his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, discussing “investigations.” The staffer also told Taylor that Sondland said that Trump was more interested in investigations than anything else.
As Breitbart News’ Kristina Wong noted, that new evidence — which is fourth-hand hearsay, plus opinion — added little new information, but was cited by Democrats and journalists as evidence that aid might have been linked to investigations Trump had asked the new Ukrainian government to pursue.
Pro-Trump influencer Laura Loomer shifts toward Ukraine support
Trump questions Thune’s leadership as SAVE America Act stalls
Op-Ed: The First Amendment Isn’t Optional
Army veteran raves over Trump’s plan to ditch illegal alien truck drivers and hire vets
The generational divide over affordability in the Trump economy is all about housing
How One Congressional Resolution Could Save the Midterms: The GOP’s Hindu Vote Gamble
Troy Jackson swapped out Senate campaign official also behind the super PAC backing Abdul el Sayed
Mystery stranger vanishes after family says frantic warning saved their lives during devastating house fire
WNBA Headache Gets Bigger: More Sophie Cunningham Rallies Scheduled
Nancy Guthrie update: DNA couldn’t be profiled from crime scene hair sample, sheriff says
GOP gubernatorial candidate fighting to flip blue state unveils healthcare plan to lower costs, expand access
WATCH: GOP holdout rejects Trump threat as AG nominee standoff explodes
Influencer accused of targeting wealthy dating app matches back behind bars
Total Fraud: Adam Schiff Demands AI Political Parodies Be Banned, Forgets He Lied About Trump and Called It Parody in 2019
Mamdani’s ‘this is only the beginning’ announcement cracking down on food delivery tips sparks outrage
On Thursday, Prystaiko said that there had been no link in discussions at the time with Sondland, as Reuters reported:
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said on Thursday that U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland did not explicitly link military aid to Kiev with opening an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Interfax Ukraine reported.
…
“Ambassador Sondland did not tell us, and certainly did not tell me, about a connection between the assistance and the investigations. You should ask him,” Prystaiko said about Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
…
“I have never seen a direct relationship between investigations and security assistance,” Prystaiko was quoted as saying by Interfax. “Yes, the investigations were mentioned, you know, in the conversation of the presidents. But there was no clear connection between these events.”
Pro-Trump influencer Laura Loomer shifts toward Ukraine support
Trump questions Thune’s leadership as SAVE America Act stalls
Op-Ed: The First Amendment Isn’t Optional
Army veteran raves over Trump’s plan to ditch illegal alien truck drivers and hire vets
The generational divide over affordability in the Trump economy is all about housing
How One Congressional Resolution Could Save the Midterms: The GOP’s Hindu Vote Gamble
Troy Jackson swapped out Senate campaign official also behind the super PAC backing Abdul el Sayed
Mystery stranger vanishes after family says frantic warning saved their lives during devastating house fire
WNBA Headache Gets Bigger: More Sophie Cunningham Rallies Scheduled
Nancy Guthrie update: DNA couldn’t be profiled from crime scene hair sample, sheriff says
GOP gubernatorial candidate fighting to flip blue state unveils healthcare plan to lower costs, expand access
WATCH: GOP holdout rejects Trump threat as AG nominee standoff explodes
Influencer accused of targeting wealthy dating app matches back behind bars
Total Fraud: Adam Schiff Demands AI Political Parodies Be Banned, Forgets He Lied About Trump and Called It Parody in 2019
Mamdani’s ‘this is only the beginning’ announcement cracking down on food delivery tips sparks outrage
In his closed-door testimony last month, which was released by the House Intelligence Committee several days ago, Sondland told the committee that he had spoken frequently with Prystaiko and other Ukrainian officials during the period in question.
Sondland is due to testify in the public hearings next week.
Story cited here.
