Trump Administration Orders Amb. Gordon Sondland Not to Testify to Congress on Ukraine Scandal
The State Department has ordered Ambassador Gordon Sondland not to testify before Congress on the Ukraine whistleblower scandal. Sondland, who is U.S. ambassador to the European Union, was due to appear before the House on Tuesday.
“Breaking — Ambassador Gordon Sondland has been told by the State Department to not appear this morning before the House regarding his role in the Ukraine scandal. His attorney said he has no choice but to comply,” CNN’s Jake Tapper reported on Twitter.
Breaking — Ambassador Gordon Sondland has been told by the State Department to not appear this morning before the House regarding his role in the Ukraine scandal. His attorney said he has no choice but to comply.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 8, 2019
The announcement comes just hours before Sondland was scheduled to testify behind closed doors. This follows testimony from Kurt Volker, who worked as U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine. Both men are enmeshed in the whisteblower scandal involving President Donald Trumping pressuring the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
The New York Times and other outlets also reported the news that Sondland will not appear. This is a major move by the Trump administration as the President’s allies continue to deny the President has done anything wrong.
The Trump administration blocked a top diplomat, Gordon Sondland, from sitting for a deposition today with impeachment investigators in the House https://t.co/S1nV62rb2f
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) October 8, 2019
This is a developing story and may be updated as more information become available.
