- US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday in President Donald Trump's impeachment hearings.
- Sondland was asked about a phone call he had with the president, in which he said the Ukrainian president "loves your a--" and would investigate Hunter Biden's business dealings.
- Sondland said the phrase sounded like something he would say. "That's how President Trump and I communicate. Lots of four letter words."
- Follow along our live coverage of the hearing here.
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The seriousness of the impeachment hearings was broken up by a rare moment of laughter on Wednesday when the United States Ambassador to the European Union joked about the colorful language he uses when speaking with President Donald Trump.
Gordon Sondland was questioned about a recently revealed telephone call between himself and the president, in which the ambassador told Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "loves your a--."
"Yeah, it sounds likes something I would say," Sondland said, breaking out into a laugh.
Most of the hearing room followed suit.
"That's how President Trump and I communicate. Lots of four letter words. In this case: three letters," Sondland said.
The impeachment hearings center on Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to launch politically motivated investigations while holding up military aid and a White House meeting.
In the newly released phone call, Sondland spoke casually about the pressure campaign, saying Zelensky would launch an investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings int the country. He said Zelensky would do "anything you ask him to."
Sondland took a more serious tone during his testimony on Wednesday, saying he was essentially just following orders, and that he knew that what the president was pushing for was a "quid pro quo." He said he kept several top figures in the administration abreast of the plan.
- Read more:
- Gordon Sondland confirms quid pro and implicates Trump, Pompeo, and Bolton in Ukraine investigation in a blistering opening statement - read it here
- State Department denies report that Pompeo has been privately telling Republicans he's planning to resign
- Here's everyone testifying in the public hearings on the possible impeachment of Donald Trump
- Trump's ambassador to the EU says the president ordered him against his will to work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine