Although the media was working overtime to spin the Sondland testimony as a win for democrats, the Ambassador actually provided the opposite, while exchanges proved that President Trump committed no crime.
It looked like the liberal media was working overtime to spin and shape Ambassador Sondland’s testimony into something it wasn’t… something that would indicate even the slightest level of competency on the part of congressional democrats. It’s didn’t.
In fact, at one point, Sondland directly refuted a headline CNN was running and the Associated Press was forced to delete a tweet lie. But, for anyone who actually watched and listened to the testimony yesterday, Gordon Sondland proved only that Donald Trump had not committed any crime, and that Sondland was basing all his statements on his own “presumptions.”
Not only did Sondland admit again that the only direct evidence he has on Trump is Trump’s own statement saying he wanted nothing from Ukraine — “no quid pro quo” — but he also had to admit he has zero evidence Trump even tried to connect the military aid to the investigations of 2016 election interference and Burisma.
This exchange between Ohio Rep. Mike Turner and Sondland just destroyed the Democrats’ case.
Watch @RepMikeTurner grill Sondland #impeachmenthearings pic.twitter.com/DrMeUicdIu
— MRCTV.org (@mrctv) November 20, 2019
“Is that your testimony today, Ambassador Sondland, that you have evidence that Donald Trump tied the investigations to the aid? Because I don’t think you’re saying that.” Rep. Turner asked.
“I said repeatedly […] I was presuming,” Sondland noted.
After some more grilling, Congressman Turner asked again, “Is it correct, nobody else on this planet told you that Donald Trump was tying this aid to the investigations? Because if your answer is yes, then the chairman’s wrong and the headline on CNN is wrong. No one this planet told you that President Trump was tying aid to investigations, yes or no?”
“Yes,” Sondland replied.
“So, you’ve really have no testimony today that ties President Trump to a scheme to withhold aid from Ukraine in exchange for these investigations?” Turner asked.
“Other than my own presumption,” Sondland said.
“Which is nothing,” Turner responded.
Turner’s line of questioning was compelling and damaging to the narrative being pushed by the media, particularly CNN. Turner mentioned during his questioning that CNN literally changed their chyron which said, falsely, “Sondland ties Trump, Pence, Pompeo to Ukraine pressure campaign.”
CNN is forced to change their chyron in REAL TIME as Amb. Sondland directly rebuts it in his testimony.
Rep. Turner: “…the president did not tie aid to investigations?”
Amb Sondland: “That is correct” pic.twitter.com/oXYPlMZViX
— Tommy Pigott (@TCPigott) November 20, 2019
The media is desperately trying to paint this testimony as a big win for Democrats. Spoiler alert: It isn’t.
In another article, PJ Media outlined the fake news push to ensure that people who did not watch the testimony were thoroughly tricked:
First, the Associated Press (AP) tweeted that Trump contradicted Sondland’s testimony. “Contradicting the testimony of his own ambassador, President Trump says he wanted ‘nothing’ from Ukraine and says the [Impeachment hearings] should be brought to an end,” the tweet read. In fact, Trump was quoting Sondland’s testimony in his remarks.
AP deleted the tweet. “An earlier tweet that didn’t make clear that President Trump was quoting from Gordon Sondland’s testimony in which he was quoting Trump has been deleted,” the news outlet admitted.
UPDATE: The Associated Press has deleted this false tweet https://t.co/AWZxMa1Axg pic.twitter.com/TRX1TvZHEZ
— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 20, 2019
During his testimony, Sondland told Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the committee, “I finally called the president… I believe I just asked him an open-ended question. ‘What do you want from Ukraine? I keep hearing all these different ideas and theories and this and that. What do you want?’”
“It was a very short abrupt conversation, he was not in a good mood, and he just said, ‘I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing,’ something to that effect,” the ambassador said.
Yet this did not stop other liberal-leaning media outlets from twisting Sondland’s testimony in similar ways. During the testimony, a CNN chyron blasted the words, “SONDLAND: I PRESSURED UKRAINE AT ‘EXPRESS DIRECTION’ OF TRUMP.”
As Trump campaign Communications Director Tim Murtagh tweeted, the chyron was “factually wrong.”
This @CNN chyron is factually wrong.
Sondland testified that he NEVER heard President Trump link aid to investigations.
In fact, he said POTUS told him “I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo.” pic.twitter.com/3C4AgrspUI
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) November 20, 2019
Sondland did testify using the words “express direction,” but not in regards to allegedly pressuring Ukraine. “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,” he said.
Yet The New York Times also twisted Sondland’s words in a similar manner. An online headline claimed, “‘We Followed the President’s Orders’ on Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Sondland Says.”
The New York Times: ‘We Followed the President’s Orders’ on Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Sondland Says pic.twitter.com/YQXPiNM4UU
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 20, 2019
When the ambassador spoke about having “followed the president’s orders,” he was referring to the decision to work with Giuliani. The context for this quote is the same as the context for the quote CNN twisted.
“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 testified. “We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt. We all understood that if we refused to work with Mr. Giuliani, we would lose an important opportunity to cement relations between the United States and Ukraine. So we followed the president’s orders.”
Sondland admitted that Trump “never told me directly that the aid was conditioned on the meetings.” He described the Democrats’ assumed quid pro quo as “my own personal guess.”
Ambassador Sondland is very clear:
“President Trump never told me directly that the aid was conditioned on the meetings.”
“I never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on an announcement of” investigations.
“I never heard those words.” pic.twitter.com/VYGbS3RYgG
— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 20, 2019
At one point, Schiff attempted to put words in Sondland’s mouth, and the ambassador refused to take the bait.
Big fat FAIL by Adam Schiff here.
Watch as Ambassador Sondland repeatedly corrects him and makes it clear that President Trump did not want a quid pro quo. pic.twitter.com/SB2AbjJ53O
— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 20, 2019
Sondland was supposed to be a star witness for the Democrats, but his testimony has proved flimsy, at best.
