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The Daily

The Saga of Gordon Sondland

The Daily

The New York Times

Daily News, News

4.3107.6K Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2019

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, told impeachment investigators he knew “nothing” about a quid pro quo in Ukraine. Now Mr. Sondland, a blunt-spoken hotelier, has changed tack. In a new four-page sworn statement released by the House, he confirmed his role in communicating President Trump’s demand that Ukraine investigate the Bidens in exchange for military aid. Today, we discuss the road to Mr. Sondland’s sudden reversal, and what his new testimony means for the impeachment investigation. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, a Washington correspondent for The Times who covers national security and federal investigations. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Mr. Sondland’s reversal offers a potentially critical piece of evidence to investigators trying to determine whether Mr. Trump abused his power.Late-night show hosts mocked Mr. Sondland, saying he had reversed his testimony after remembering “one important detail: that I don’t want to go to jail for perjury.”

Transcript

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0:00.0

From the New York Times, I'm Michael Barrow.

0:02.4

This is The Daily.

0:03.8

[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪

0:09.2

Today, he was brought into the Trump administration

0:12.8

as a loyal donor to the president.

0:15.6

Now, his testimony in the impeachment inquiry

0:19.0

is so damning that Republicans are accusing him of betrayal.

0:24.2

Mike Schmidt on the saga of Gordon Sondland.

0:28.9

[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪

0:31.2

It's Friday, November 8th.

0:33.7

[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪

0:38.5

Mike, over the past week, what has been the story of the impeachment inquiry?

0:42.4

The first transcripts from closed-door depositions

0:45.2

at the heart of the Ukraine impeachment inquiry are out.

0:48.4

[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪

0:52.4

Every day, next this evening, the impeachment showdown tonight

0:55.6

investigators releasing the first wave of transcripts.

0:58.5

New transcripts of depositions, former Ukrainian ambassador Marie Yvonnevich

1:03.6

describing a shadow campaign that were conducted with witnesses,

1:07.6

the transcript from State Department official George Kent.

1:11.3

Behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol have been released.

1:16.4

At the Capitol, the impeachment battle for now is on paper,

...

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