Sondland acted at Trump's behest, senior official says (WP)

[dalton99a]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senior-national-security-official-feared-leaks-of-trumps-call-to-ukrainian-leader-could-be-damaging/2019/11/16/3e88d768-08b9-11ea-8ac0-0810ed197c7e_story.html

Senior national security official ties key official more closely to Trump on Ukraine in impeachment inquiry
By Colby Itkowitz, Karoun Demirjian, Michael Kranish and Shane Harris
November 16 at 8:18 PM

A former White House national security official told House investigators that Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, was acting at President Trump’s behest and spoke to a top Ukrainian official about exchanging military aid for political investigations — two elements at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.

Tim Morrison, the top Russia and Europe adviser on the National Security Council, testified that between July 16 and Sept. 11, he understood that Sondland had spoken to Trump about half a dozen times, according to a transcript of his sworn Oct. 31 deposition released by House committees Saturday. Trump has said he does not know Sondland well and has tried to distance himself from the E.U. ambassador, whom Trump put in charge of Ukraine policy along with two others, even though Ukraine is not part of the European Union.

“His mandate from the president was to go make deals,” Morrison said of Sondland.

Sondland continues to emerge as possibly the key figure in House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry as multiple witnesses have now described him as central to answering the question at the heart of the effort to remove Trump from office: Did the president specifically withhold military aid and a White House visit desperately sought by the new Ukrainian government in the face of Russian aggression in exchange for investigations into his political rivals?

Sondland has provided sworn testimony behind closed doors, but questions have been raised about whether he was fully forthcoming with lawmakers. He has already revised his testimony once, and Sondland will testify publicly before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday in what is now a highly anticipated appearance.

[triron]

1. Fasten your seatbelts for next week.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. BREAKING new video seen

Rump, Giuliani, Sondland and Mitch McConnell caught on a hot mic saying they all plan to work with Putin to take all the property and money of all Americans and kill anyone who gets in their way.

CNN asked a studio full of Rump supporters what they thought and their response: "Well, maybe they have good reason to do that"

[patricia92243]

3. Link?

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. .

[crickets]

5. "I was only following orders" ... "Who?"