GORDON SONDLAND

Former Amb. Gordon Sondland called out President Biden's visit to the G-20 Summit and praised former President Donald Trump's approach to diplomacy on "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade."

The former ambassador emerged from his experience in the administration as neither a full-on apostate nor a true believer.

Sondland wrote that "in order to survive" in Trumpworld, one must treat him as an equal rather than play roles "that aren't authentic."

Sondland said he started to notice "quality issues" in Trump's team and that "the people who work the place can be rude and not so bright."

President Joe Biden used his first meeting with a foreign leader since ending the war in Afghanistan to send the message that the United States — unburdened of its “forever war”— is determined to become a more reliable ally to its friends.

Why Alexander Vindman had an inkling Trump's infamous Ukraine call would go 'haywire' before it took place

I knew the president had clear and straightforward talking points—I’d written them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose hopes for a White House meeting played a central part in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, will finally get his chance for an Oval Office sit down late next month.

Revisiting a key witness Republicans cited for Trump's supposed exoneration.

Plus, “I am a gaffe machine,” Biden once conceded. And an investigation unveils missteps that may have contributed to a military suicide.

Sondland argues he was forced to hire his own lawyers during the 2019 impeachment probe because government lawyers were not available to represent him.

Sondland, who testified about a "quid pro quo" between Trump and Ukraine, says the former secretary of state reneged on an agreement to pay his impeachment related legal fees.

Gordon Sondland accuses former secretary of state of promising to cover attorneys’ fees ahead of bombshell ‘quid pro quo’ testimony

Sondland argues he was forced to hire his own lawyers during the 2019 impeachment probe because government lawyers were not available to represent him.

The Trump administration’s ambassador to the European Union and a pivotal witness in 2019 impeachment proceedings has sued former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an effort to recoup $1.8 million in legal fees.

Gordon Sondland, the Trump administration's ambassador to the European Union and a pivotal witness in 2019 impeachment proceedings, sued former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday in an effort to recoup $1.8 million he racked up in legal expenses.

Gordon Sondland, a central figure in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, alleges Mike Pompeo promised to cover his legal fees.

Gordon Sondland sued Mike Pompeo and the U.S. for $1.8 million in reimbursement for legal fees incurred during Trump's first impeachment probe.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland is suing former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the U.S. government for $1.8 million, alleging that the State Department reneged on its promise to pay the legal fees he incurred when he delivered bombshell testimony during Trump's first impeachment.Flashback: Sondland testified in 2019 that he believed the Trump administration conditioned military aid to Ukraine on whether its government would investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Sondland claimed he worked with Rudy Giuliani "at the express direction" of President Trump on matters involving Ukraine.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeDetails: The suit alleges Pompeo told Sondland he wouldn't get government lawyers to help him prepare for the trial, but that he would be reimbursed if he hired his own counsel. Sondland claims that changed after he offered damning testimony about Trump's "quid pro quo" with Ukraine, and after he refused to resign as part of a State Department purge of witnesses linked to the impeachment.Meanwhile, Trump sought to distance himself from the ambassador, according to the suit.What they're saying: "Despite the fact that Ambassador Sondland was subpoenaed in his capacity as an official Government diplomat, Defendants bucked normal convention and denied him the services of any Government counsel," the lawsuit says."This act was especially problematic in this instance because the amount of preparation needed to comply with the subpoenas was staggering.""Ambassador Sondland was required to prepare for highly charged testimony under oath with international scrutiny without access to materials or anyone from the Government agencies which had knowledge of all the facts relevant to his testimony."What to watch: Sondland is demanding the U.S. government or Pompeo pay his fees, either because the former secretary of state broke a contractual commitment or misrepresented his authority to ensure the government would pay.Read the lawsuit. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

President Joe Biden is facing a fresh challenge to his oft-repeated commitment to diversity in his administration: assembling a diplomatic corps that gives a nod to key political allies and donors while staying true to a campaign pledge to appoint ambassadors who look like America.

"No serious person believes President Trump has learned any lesson," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Wednesday. Sitting just a few feet away: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who launched the impeachment inquiry into Trump's Ukraine dealings late last year. "I'm not happy with" the NSC staffer, Trump said, hours before Pressman revealed Vindman's departure from the White House. Asked at the White House on Wednesday if there were more departures to come, Trump said, "Oh, sure. Giuliani's alleged shadow foreign policy efforts in Ukraine became a central feature of House Democrats' impeachment case against Trump.

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland arrives to testify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a key witness in House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, NBC News reported. The move was reported hours after it was revealed that Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, another witness in the impeachment proceedings, was recalled from his post as a National Security Council staffer. Just two days earlier, the GOP-led Senate voted nearly along party lines to acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment that the House passed in December. The apparent purge of Sondland and Vindman and Vindman's brother Yevgeny, who worked as an attorney at the National Security Council came a day after Trump's remarks.

In a statement, Sondland said, "I was advised today that the President intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union. Sondland testified. "With regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes," he added. President Trump continued to insist Sondland said there was no quid pro quo, ignoring his later testimony. Vindman's lawyer, David Pressman, said in a statement that his client was escorted out of the White House.

I guarantee you that never took place, Trump told Fox News Channels Fox & Friends program. He accused the White House of blocking his access to it after he left his post in September. Later on Friday, Bolton told reporters at the Union Station in Washington: We have regained control of the Twitter account. REUTERS/Tom BrennerTrump did not address what he actually told Giuliani to do. I want a trial, Trump told Fox News.

Of all the missing witnesses, though, Mulvaney stands apart. It was Mulvaney, witnesses said, who organized the unofficial channel of envoys who negotiated with Kyiv: Sondland, Perry and special envoy Kurt Volker. Make that acting chief of staff; hes still on probation after 11 months in the position. When Trump decided to hold next years G-7 summit meeting at one of his resorts in Florida, Mulvaney did not resist. And now Mulvaney has helped Trump blunder into impeachment without even getting the Ukrainian investigation of Biden that he wanted.

The lawmakers are looking into whether Trump asked Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden in return for a White House meeting or the release of U.S. security aid. It is a true story ... Its one of the stories I occasionally tell because it had some very unfortunate consequences. Afterwards my mother gave me a bowl haircut, she said, to laughter in the hearing room. Hill stressed that she had come to testify to the committee without an agenda, to describe what had happened. And I did say to him, Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, I think this is also going to blow up, she said.

So, hes gonna do the investigation? Trump asked Sondland, referring to Zelenskiy, according to Holmes previous testimony. Sondland added the Ukrainian president would do anything you ask him to, Holmes said. It was Burisma and 2016 elections.Sondland has previously testified that he was aware at the time Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate Burisma. The Trump phone call with Sondland occurred one day after a July 25 conversation between Trump and Zelenskiy that is at the heart of the inquiry into whether Trump misused U.S. foreign policy to his political advantage. Trump asked Zelenskiy here to investigate the Bidens on that call.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's former top Russia expert Fiona Hill testified Thursday that the months-long pressure campaign to try to get Ukraine to launch investigations into Trump's political opponents amounted to a "domestic political errand" that ran counter to legitimate "national security policy." It was some of the sharpest testimony yet in ongoing impeachment hearings to directly challenge the Republican defense of Trump's actions towards Ukraine. Hill recalled an argument she had this summer with Gordon Sondland, Trump's ambassador to the European Union, who was by then deeply involved in a secretive effort to get Ukraine to launch investigations. Sondland, she said, "was being involved in a domestic political errand. And we were being involved in national security, foreign policy and those two things had just diverged."

Sondland "did that for the first couple exchanges," Holmes testified, enabling him to hear what was being said on both sides of the conversation. Sondland told Trump that Zelenskiy "loves your ass," Holmes recalled. "I then heard President Trump ask, 'So, he's going to do the investigation?' Republicans noted repeatedly that Trump never personally told Sondland what the terms of the quid pro quo needed to be. "The Democrats' [sic] are clearly being motivated by a sick hatred for President Trump and their rabid desire to overturn the 2016 election," Grisham said.

Hill recalled that Bolton "looked pained, and basically indicated with body language that there was nothing which we could do about it. Hill is the latest administration official to describe gradually realizing this spring and summer how much influence Giuliani exercised over the president's thinking on Ukraine. "That's when I saw Ambassador Bolton stiffen. Following the meeting, Hill said Bolton gave her specific instructions. Asked what she interpreted the phrase "drug deal" to mean, Hill replied, "Investigations for a meeting."

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testifies before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House seized on one portion of the testimony from U.S. envoy Gordon Sondland during a House of Representatives impeachment hearing on Wednesday and said it completely exonerates President Donald Trump. Though much of todays testimony by Ambassador Sondland was related to his presumptions and beliefs, rather than hard facts, he testified to the fact that President Trump never told him that a White House meeting or the aid to Ukraine was tied to receiving a public statement from (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds what appears to be a prepared statement and handwritten notes after watching testimony by U.S. I WANT NO QUID PRO QUO.Usually the president exits the White House without papers or paraphernalia in his hands. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondlands testimony in congressional impeachment hearings about a conversation the two men had in which Trump told him he wanted nothing from Ukraine. Once the president finished reading his papers, he did not stay to engage with reporters as he often does. Notes in hand, he proceeded to his noisy, waiting presidential helicopter Marine One and took off.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a news conference at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Francois LenoirBRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he did not watch a testimony from European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump and that he was proud of American policy in Ukraine. I didnt see a single thing ... I was working, I was in meetings all day, Pompeo told reporters after a NATO foreign ministers meeting. I know precisely what American policy was with respect to Ukraine, I was working on it and I am terribly proud of what we accomplished.

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland attends a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Loren ElliottWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who testified on Wednesday in the House impeachment inquiry, never told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo he believed President Donald Trump was linking Ukraine aid to investigations of political opponents, a State Department spokeswoman said. Any suggestion to the contrary is flat out false, spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a news conference at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 20, 2019. Two senior U.S. officials said the testimony puts Pompeo in a more difficult position with both his departments career staff and international counterparts that could hasten his departure. Speculation has swirled for months that Pompeo would resign, fueled by his frequent visits to Kansas and regional media interviews. Pompeo has been a close Trump ally, serving as CIA director before becoming the top U.S. diplomat. Asked by a reporter at a news conference on Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels to comment on Sondlands testimony, Pompeo replied testily, I did not see a single thing, I was working.

Circuit Court of Appeals, a regional appeals court handling cases from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Eleven of the 13 federal appeals courts handle cases from specific multi-state regions, one handles cases from the U.S. capital and another specializes in patent cases. As a candidate in 2016, Trump promised to move the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, to the right. Circuit courts also are considering important legal battles directly involving Trump. The regional appeals courts usually provide the last word on rulings appealed from lower courts on disputes involving federal law.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The following are quotations from the fourth day of hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Wednesday in an impeachment inquiry examining President Donald Trumps dealings with Ukraine. Sondland quotations highlights here hereADAM SCHIFF, CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE:The knowledge of this scheme was far and wide and included among others Secretary (Mike) Pompeo, as well as the vice president. We can see why Secretary Pompeo and President Trump have made such a concerted and across-the-board effort to obstruct this investigation and this impeachment inquiry. Ive listened to you today, as (have) a lot of people, and not only are your answers somewhat circular. I think that says a lot about you, and I think history will look kindly on you doing that.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attends a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Mike Pences office, responding to testimony on Wednesday by U.S. He also asked Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and Bidens son Hunter, who served on the board of Ukrainian company Burisma. Sondland told lawmakers Pence was aware of the effort to get Ukraine to commit to carrying out the probes. In his testimony, Sondland said he had raised concerns about the linkage between the aid and the investigations Trump sought.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat on Wednesday described broad involvement at the upper levels of the Trump administration in a pressure campaign against Ukraine, giving testimony that for the first time put the secretary of state and vice president at the heart of the impeachment probe against President Donald Trump. The ambassador, a wealthy hotel entrepreneur and Trump political donor, detailed the presidents active participation in the Ukraine controversy. The other involved a debunked conspiracy theory promoted by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Thats how President Trump and I communicate. Youre doing great work; keep banging away, Pompeo told Sondland in early September, according to email correspondence cited in his testimony.

The ambassador, a wealthy hotel entrepreneur and Trump donor, detailed Trumps active participation in the Ukraine controversy. Testifying to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland said he told Pence that a freeze ordered by Trump of $391 million in security aid to Ukraine appeared to be part of the pressure campaign. Trump in a July 25 phone call asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to carry out two investigations. The other involved a debunked conspiracy theory promoted by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump has said he did nothing wrong in the Ukraine matter and specifically denied any quid pro quo.

The ambassador, a wealthy hotel entrepreneur and Trump donor, detailed Trumps active participation in the Ukraine controversy. Testifying to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland said he told Pence that a freeze ordered by Trump of $391 million in security aid to Ukraine appeared to be part of the pressure campaign. Trump in a July 25 phone call asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to carry out two investigations. The other involved a debunked conspiracy theory promoted by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump has said he did nothing wrong in the Ukraine matter and specifically denied any quid pro quo.

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File PhotoSondlands testimony, in a Democrat-led impeachment probe of Trumps Ukraine dealings, raises questions about Perry, who had been one of Trumps longest-serving and most scandal-free Cabinet members. Trump held up nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine as he asked Zelenskiy to investigate the Bidens. It has not come up in the testimony whether Perry had directly told Sondland that Trump wanted a probe of the Bidens. The Energy Departments spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, said on Wednesday Sondland had misrepresented both Perrys interaction with Giuliani and the direction he received from Trump. Trump has said he made his July 25 call with Zelenskiy at Perrys urging.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat told lawmakers on Wednesday that President Donald Trump expressly ordered him and others to help pressure Ukraine into investigating a political rival, providing some of the most significant testimony to date in a Democrat-led impeachment inquiry. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland returns from a break to testify at a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Loren ElliottThe U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee held its third day of public hearings in an impeachment inquiry examining President Donald Trumps dealings with Ukraine, with three witnesses testifying on two panels. Below are reactions to Sondlands testimony and the impeachment inquiry from outside the room:PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, ON TWITTER:White House Confidence Grows As Hearings Wear On.@WashTimes This is just an attempted takedown of the Republican Party by the Do Nothing Democrats. Sondland recalls telling Pence he understood that the Ukraine aid was being tied to Trumps request for political investigations.

Giulianis instructions reflected President Trumps desires and requirements, he said. As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes, Sondland said. Sondland says he gradually came to realize that the White House was also withholding $391 million in security aid in order to pressure Kiev. But Sondland said he told senior administration officials at the National Security Council and the State Department what he was doing. Youre doing great work; keep banging away, Pompeo told Sondland in early September, according to email correspondence cited in Sondlands testimony.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks to reporters during a break in the testimony by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said on Wednesday that morning testimony from European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland was a very important moment in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. It goes right to the heart of the issue of bribery as well as other potential high crimes and misdemeanors, Schiff told reporters. But we also have heard for the first time that knowledge of this scheme was pervasive.He then said it was a very important moment in the history of this inquiry.

As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.My memory has not been perfect. It was no secret.We kept the leadership of the State Department and the (White House National Security Council) informed of our activities. I have now identified certain State Department emails and messages that provide contemporaneous support for my view. Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of the 2016 election/(Democratic National Committee) server and Burisma. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstAlthough we disagreed with the need to involve Mr. Giuliani, we did not believe that his role was improper at the time.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee held its fourth day of public hearings on Wednesday in an impeachment inquiry examining President Donald Trumps dealings with Ukraine. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland state that his efforts to press Ukraine for investigations sought by Trump were well known to leadership at the White House and State Department. Click here for highlights from his prepared remarks:Following are other quotations from the proceedings:ADAM SCHIFF, CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE:The knowledge of this scheme was far and wide and included among others Secretary (Mike) Pompeo, as well as the vice president. We can see why Secretary Pompeo and President Trump have made such a concerted and across-the-board effort to obstruct this investigation and this impeachment inquiry. And I will just say this: they do so at their own peril.

Giulianis instructions reflected President Trumps desires and requirements, he said. As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes, Sondland said. But Sondland said he told senior administration officials at the National Security Council and the State Department what he was doing. Youre doing great work; keep banging away, Pompeo told Sondland in early September, according to email correspondence cited Sondlands testimony. However, Kansas is a heavily Republican state, and there are few indications that the impeachment has eroded Trumps support among conservative-leaning voters.

Sondland was appearing on Wednesday before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which is taking the lead in the impeachment inquiry. Sondland testified that Trump had ordered him and two other senior officials to work with Giuliani, who has refused to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. Giuliani at the time had been working to get Ukraine to carry out the investigations that would benefit Trump politically. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstSchiff said Pompeo and Trump have made such a concerted and across-the-board effort to obstruct this investigation and this impeachment inquiry. Sondland said he was adamantly opposed to any suspension of aid to Ukraine because Kiev needed it to fight against Russian aggression.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) listens as ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) speaks at a House Intelligence Committee hearing featuring witness U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testifying as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/PoolWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said on Wednesday committee Republicans had requested subpoenas including a demand for testimony by Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. Vice President Hunter Biden, and the impeachment whistleblower. Republicans do not have subpoena power in the House, where Democrats hold a majority of seats, but the request underscored partisan bitterness in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and his dealings with Ukraine.

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland takes his seat to testify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. Sondland, a wealthy hotel entrepreneur and Trump donor, said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was aware and fully supportive of their efforts on Ukraine. Sondland was appearing before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which is taking the lead in the impeachment inquiry that threatens Trumps presidency. The other involved a debunked conspiracy theory embraced by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Ahead of his request that Zelenskiy carry out the two investigations, Trump had frozen $391 million in U.S. security aid approved by Congress to help Ukraine combat Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country.

As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.My memory has not been perfect. We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. So we followed the presidents orders.We kept the leadership of the State Department and the (White House National Security Council) informed of our activities. Giulianis requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelenskiy. Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of the 2016 election/(Democratic National Committee) server and Burisma.

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland arrives to testify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Loren ElliottWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. envoy Gordon Sondland told lawmakers on Wednesday that President Donald Trump ordered him to work with Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine matters, and that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was aware and fully supportive of their efforts. Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, said Giulianis efforts to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Trumps political rivals were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for Zelenskiy, he said prepared testimony for an impeachment hearing.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. diplomat Gordon Sondland has told two different stories to lawmakers leading the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Unlike some other figures close to Trump, Sondland has cooperated with the impeachment investigation. According to U.S. embassy staffer David Holmes, Sondland told Trump during that call that Zelenskiy would conduct the investigation he sought. After hanging up, according to Holmes, Sondland said that Trump only cared about big stuff like the Biden investigation.Related Coverage Why Gordon Sondland is key witness in Trump impeachment hearingsHolmes is scheduled to testify on Thursday. Sondland was tapped as Trumps envoy after he donated $1 million to the presidents inauguration.

"The member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone, asking Ambassador Sondland about 'the investigations.' When asked about the call later that day during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, President Trump said he knew, "nothing about that." A close ally of Trump's, Jordan laid out a case that Taylor's testimony relies on several levels of hearsay. At a post-hearing press conference, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik summed up the GOP argument against impeachment. But what about Senate Republicans, who hold the majority and could help determine whether an impeached President Trump is convicted or acquitted?

The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine is testifying Wednesday in the first public hearings in the House impeachment inquiry. two other envoys invoked President Donald Trump's history as a businessman in trying to explain the U.S. relationship with Ukraine. He says Kurt Volker used the same language several days later while they were together at the Yalta European Strategy Conference in Ukraine. Watch hearing on Channel 4 and News4Jax.com when it resumes after lunch break. RELATED STORIES:2 diplomats to testify in first public impeachment hearingHow to watch Wednesday's impeachment hearingRick Mullaney weighs in on the upcoming public impeachment hearingsCopyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

Within the State Department, in conversations with nearly a dozen staff, the word that repeatedly came to people's lips as they described their colleagues wasn't "swamp." Next week, an old army friend of Pompeo's, State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl, is slated to testify -- though he has ignored a previous request to appear voluntarily. 'Fixated'In April -- one year into his tenure as secretary of state -- Pompeo unveiled a "professional ethos" for the State Department. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they still deal with the State Department. "It's a source of power for him," Anderson said, "but this has come at the expense of his reputation inside the State Department."

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON - A progressive senator from Wisconsin has called for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's salary to be withheld until EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland is allowed to testify in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, according to a report by The Hill. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) sent a letter to Pompeo on Tuesday saying the law allows Congress to withhold compensation if a federal official prevents another government employee from communicating with "any Member, committee, or subcommittee of the Congress." The State Department blocked Sondland from testifying in his scheduled House deposition on Tuesday. In his letter, Pocan referred to a piece of legislature signed by Trump himself earlier this year. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

(CNN) - President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Sunday said he spoke last week with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Giuliani's meeting with a Ukrainian official, adding that Pompeo didn't direct him to have those meeting. Pompeo was aware that his department was assisting Giuliani in speaking with an aide to the Ukrainian president, explains a source familiar with the conversations. When asked last week about Giuliani's efforts, Pompeo said the State Department's actions were "appropriate." "From what I've seen so far, each of the actions that were undertaken by State Department officials was entirely appropriate," he said. CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment about Pompeo's speaking to Giuliani.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The chairmen of three House committees subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Friday over his failure to produce documents related to Ukraine. "Pursuant to the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry, we are hereby transmitting a subpoena that compels you to produce the documents set forth in the accompanying schedule by October 4, 2019," the chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees wrote in a letter to Pompeo. The chairman of the three committees wrote to Pompeo on September 9 with a request for six categories of documents "related to reported efforts by President Trump and his associates to improperly pressure the Ukrainian government to assist the President's bid for reelection." The State Department had until Thursday to reply. Pompeo has not publicly addressed the State Department's role in Rudy Giuliani's dealings with Ukraine and the State Department has not responded to numerous requests for comment about the situation.