US Ambassador Gordon Sondland has told the impeachment inquiry that President Donald Trump directed pressure on Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden
Gordon Sondland, the US envoy to the European Union and a Trump ally, told lawmakers he followed Trump’s orders in seeking a “quid pro quo” deal for Ukraine to probe Democrat Joe Biden in exchange for a White House summit.
In response, the US president pointed to testimony where it said he wanted nothing from Ukraine.
Mr Sondland also implicated US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
He also said the president wanted diplomacy with Ukraine being led by his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
The inquiry could see President Trump removed from office, but only if the House of Representatives impeaches him and the Senate convicts him.
Mr Sondland repeated several times that while he believed the military aid to Ukraine to be contingent upon two investigations, namely the 2016 US election and Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, he was not aware until later that Burisma employed the son of former Vice-President Joe Biden.
The link between Burisma and Biden is central to the Democratic push to impeach the president, as Democrats say Trump exploited his power to hurt a domestic political rival.))
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