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7 officials confirmed Trump tried to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens as part of a quid pro quo - here's the list
7 officials confirmed Trump tried to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens as part of a quid pro quo - here's the list
Mack DeGeurin,Mack DeGeurinNov 20, 2019, 23:48 IST
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speak during a meeting in New York on September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
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Since the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump began, the president and his allies have vigorously denied the notion of a quid pro quo agreement.
That supposed agreement involves the releasing of military aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into the Biden family.
As public impeachment hearings enter their second week, a growing number of key figures have offered account supporting the notion of a quid pro quo.
On Wednesday, Gordon Sondland, Trump's ambassador to the European Union, plainly said Trump wanted a quid pro quo arrangement.
At least five other figures with knowledge of the supposed agreement have reinforced the notion of a quid pro quo in their impeachment inquiry testimonies.
A central point of contention during president Trump's impeachment hearing has revolved around whether or not a quid pro quo agreement occurred. That supposed agreement involves the releasing of military aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into the Biden family.
President Trump and his allies have vigorously denied any notion of a quid pro quo since the impeachment inquiries began. As more officials with knowledge of the supposed agreement continue to testify under oath thought though, evidence of a known agreement is becoming harder and harder to deny.
At least five other key impeachments witnesses - along with Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney - have supported the notion of a quid pro quo in both closed-door and public hearings. Here's who they are.
Gordon Sondland, Trump's ambassador to the European Union
In his opening statement during public impeachment hearings Wednesday, Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, gave one of the most explicit, jarring confirmations of a quid pro quo agreement implicating the Trump administration and the Ukrainian president.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an army officer and Ukraine expert detailed to the White House
On Tuesday, November, 20, Vindman testified in front of Congress and spoke of a July meeting where Sondland said the Ukraine president had to deliver "a special investigation," to secure a meeting with President Trump.
Bill Taylor, the former ambassador to Ukraine
Taylor spoke on the first day of pubic hearings and testified that he was told Sondland had told Ukrainian presidential aid Andriy Yermak that military aid for Ukraine was preconditioned on the launching of an investigation into the Biden. Taylor's closed-door testimony forced Sondland to amend his original testimony and admit a quid pro quo had occurred.
Tim Morrison, former top Russia staffer on the White House's National Security Council.
A former senior national security aid and Trump loyalist, Morrison was reportedly the one who told Taylor about Sondland's conversation with Yermak regarding military aid. "I can confirm that the substance of [Taylor's] statement, as it relates to conversations he and I had, is accurate," Morrison testified in closed-door hearings.
Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia.
Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, testified in closed-door hearing that the State Department special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker had indicated to her in August that the hold on military aid for Ukraine would be released if Ukrainian president Zelensky offered a public commitment to support an investigation into the Biden family. Cooper testified in public hearings on Wednesday, November 20.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
While Johnson isn't himself an impeachment witness, his statements attempting to defend the president have involved mention of the quid pro quo. According to the Wall Street Journal, Johnson said he was told by Sondland of a potential quid pro quo between Trump and the Ukrainian president.
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Johnson said Trump had conveyed the quid pro quo in question to him via an August 31 phone conversation. He said he tried to get Trump to release Ukrainian military aid but was unsuccessful.
Despite his close involvement with Ukraine, Johnson has emerged as one of the staunchest defenders of Trump during the impeachment hearings.
