Ambassador Sondland Congressional Testimony Damns Trump

It's almost over, folks. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks it down. MORE TYT

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"In addition to outright deceit, the main argument Republicans trotted out to defend Donald Trump in televised impeachment hearings last week was that none of the witnesses—highly-respected career diplomats who provided detailed accounts of the president’s apparent misdeeds—had spoken with the president directly about the apparent quid pro quo with Ukraine. “The ambassador is not a material fact witness to any of the accusations that are being hurled at the president for this impeachment inquiry,” Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, griped during a testimony by former Ukraine envoy Marie Yovanovitch on Friday. But Trump’s defenders will likely have to change tactics as more witnesses, particularly Gordon Sondland, appear on Capitol Hill this week.

Unlike those who have already publicly testified, the European Union ambassador—one of the so-called “three amigos” who helped lead the president’s pressure campaign on Ukraine—did speak to Trump, and Democrats are hoping his testimony will directly link the president to the racket. He’s already done so behind closed doors. After telling lawmakers in October that Trump funneled Ukraine policy through Rudy Giuliani, but that he was unaware of the move to hold back military aid to Kiev unless Volodymyr Zelensky launched an investigation into Joe Biden, he amended his testimony to say the president did just that: “I presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the proposed anticorruption statement,” Sondland said. If Sondland, who is facing legal scrutiny for his involvement, can provide details on the pressure campaign to the House, Trump could find himself in an even deeper hole.

But Republicans also see an opportunity in Sondland to put some daylight between Trump and the whole sordid affair. As Axios reported Monday, the GOP strategy this week will likely involve scapegoating Sondland, suggesting that the Trump megadonor was out over his skis and not acting under orders from the president. When he appears before the Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Republicans are expected to downplay the number of interactions between Sondland and the president, who has already said he “doesn’t know” his handpicked E.U. envoy, and to suggest that he was freelancing in his attempts to strong-arm Ukraine as an effort to please Trump."

Hosts: Cenk Uygur

Cast: Cenk Uygur

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Young Turk (n), 1. Young progressive or insurgent member of an institution, movement, or political party. 2. A young person who rebels against authority or societal expectations. (American Heritage Dictionary)

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