• In his opening statement, European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland confirmed he believed there was a quid pro quo between the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government.
  • Sondland implicated key members of Trump’s team and White House cabinet as having knowledge of the agreement, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, energy secretary Rick Perry, and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
  • Sondland said neither he nor ambassador Kurt Volker wanted to work with the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
  • Sondland said he had shared his concerns about the deal with Vice President Mike Pence.
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In a blistering opening statement on Wednesday, Gordon Sondland, the Ambassador to the European Union implicated President Trump, secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security adviser John Bolton in a quid-pro-quo arrangement with the Ukrainian. president In his testimony, Sondland confirmed explicitly that there was a “quid pro quo,” a major point of contention thus far for President Trump and his Republican allies throughout the impeachment inquiry.

“Was there a quid pro quo?” Sondland asked. “The answer is yes.”

Sondland said the arrangement between the Trump administration the Ukrainian government was known among several key advisers and the cabinet.

“Everyone was in the loop,” Sondland said.

That everyone, according to Sondland, including Pompeo, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, among others.

Sondland said that he and ambassador Kurt Volker were resistant to working with Rudy Giuliani from the beginning.

"First, Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and I worked with Mr. Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine matters at the express direction of the President of the United States," Sondland said. "We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt."

Sondland said he shared his concern that he believed Ukrainian military aid was being delayed because of the investigation agreements with Vice President Mike Pence on September 1.

You can read the entire opening statement here.