唐纳德·特朗普总统的美国驻欧盟大使戈登·桑德兰(Gordon Sondland)周四上午告诉立法者，特朗普指示他与他的私人律师鲁迪·朱利安尼就乌克兰政策事宜进行合作。
桑德兰私下告诉众议院弹劾调查人员，他最初并不知道特朗普和朱利安尼打算向新当选的乌克兰总统沃洛迪米尔·泽兰斯基施压，让他调查前副总统乔·拜登——特朗普的政治对手——外国军事援助不应该“因为任何原因而推迟”
桑德兰的证词代表着与特朗普的决裂，特朗普大力推动朱利安尼参与与乌克兰的外交讨论，尽管私人律师没有官方政府角色，此举违背了桑德兰和其他高级官员的意愿。在总统推迟乌克兰援助的行动中，他的言论也与特朗普大相径庭。但他表示，特朗普坚持自己的立场，即在数亿美元的外国军事援助以抵御俄罗斯侵略方面，泽兰斯基“没有任何交换条件”。
特朗普7月份与泽兰斯基的电话暗示，而且民主党人也坚称，援助被搁置，希望这位外国领导人能承诺调查拜登的儿子亨特与乌克兰能源公司布里斯马的商业交易。
“总统指示让朱利安尼先生参与进来，我们对此也感到失望。我们的观点是，美国国务院的男人和女人，而不是总统的私人律师，应该对美国对乌克兰外交政策的所有方面负责，”桑德拉在他准备好的开场白中说，这可以在故事的结尾看到。
“邀请外国政府进行调查以影响即将到来的美国选举是错误的，”他补充说。
“为了迫使外国政府采取这样的步骤而拒绝外援是错误的。我过去没有，将来也不会参加这样的活动。我认为，对乌克兰的安全援助符合我们至关重要的国家利益，不应以任何理由拖延。”
10月17日，美国驻欧盟大使戈登·桑德兰抵达DC首都华盛顿。
弹劾调查人员透露的短信显示，欧盟大使知道特朗普和朱利安尼试图让一个外国调查一个2020年的政治敌人，桑德兰是民主党弹劾调查的关键证人，他在特朗普与泽兰斯基通话的举报者报告中被点名。
然而，桑德兰指出，在媒体报道浮出水面、特朗普的部分通话记录公布之前，他不知道特朗普或朱利安尼有任何推动让泽兰斯基调查拜登或他的儿子亨特的举动。桑德拉没有回忆起“参与任何鼓励调查拜登夫妇的努力”，也没有与任何政府官员就拜登夫妇进行过对话。
“朱利安尼先生强调，总统希望泽兰斯基总统发表公开声明，承诺乌克兰将调查反腐败问题，”欧盟大使告诉立法者。“朱利安尼先生特别提到2016年选举(包括民主党全国委员会服务器)和布里斯马是对总统来说非常重要的两个反腐败调查主题。”
尽管国务院在白宫的指导下努力阻止他回答议员的问题。国会传票迫使桑德兰出庭。他的律师告诉进行弹劾调查的委员会，他们的当事人希望交出传票文件来支持他的证词，但白宫和国务院阻止他这样做，因为一些信息可能受到行政特权的保护。
桑德兰说，特朗普第一次指示他在5月就自己的担忧与朱利安尼联系，特朗普对泽兰斯基解决乌克兰腐败问题的承诺表示怀疑。这项指令令桑德兰、能源部部长里克·佩里和前美国驻乌克兰特使库尔特·沃尔克失望。根据桑德兰的说法，该组织认为特朗普和泽兰斯基应该“迅速且无任何先决条件地”安排一个电话
桑德拉说:“对我们所有人来说，很明显，改变总统对乌克兰看法的关键是朱利安尼先生。”
沃尔克本月早些时候告诉弹劾调查人员朱利安尼对特朗普对乌克兰的负面看法负有部分责任，并阻碍了美国支持他们新当选政府的能力。
桑德兰给沃尔克和代理美国驻乌克兰大使比尔·泰勒的短信已被仔细审查，作为该组织知道特朗普和朱利安尼试图让乌克兰承诺调查拜登夫妇的证据，这可能是为了换取白宫访问和大约4亿美元的援助。但桑德兰向立法者解释说，他认为两位世界领导人在白宫会晤的唯一先兆是“公开接受反腐败改革”，这一要求与“西方改革”是一致的，不会引发危险信号。
欧盟大使还赞扬了被驱逐的美国驻乌克兰大使玛丽·约瓦诺维奇上周向立法者作证特朗普迫使她下台是因为“动机明显可疑的人毫无根据的虚假主张”，这些人得到了总统的支持，包括朱利安尼。
桑德拉说:“我发现她是一名出色的外交官，对乌克兰的内部动态、美国和乌克兰的关系以及相关的地区问题有着深刻的了解。”。"我从未参与任何贬低或驱逐她的运动，我对她离开感到遗憾。"
TRUMP DIRECTED DIPLOMATS TO WORK WITH GIULIANI ON UKRAINE, AID SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN WITHHELD 'FOR ANY REASON,' EU AMBASSADOR SAYS
Cordon Sondland, President Donald Trump's U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told lawmakers Thursday morning that he was directed by Trump to work with his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine policy matters.
Sondland told House impeachment investigators behind closed doors that he was initially unaware of the intentions of Trump and Giuliani to pressure newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden—a political opponent of Trump's—and that foreign military aid should not "have been delayed for any reason."
Sondland's testimony represented a sharp break from Trump, who heavily pushed for Giuliani to be involved in diplomatic discussions with Ukraine, despite the personal attorney having no official government role and the move being against the wishes of Sondland and other top officials. His remarks also sharply broke with Trump in the president's move to delay Ukrainian aid. But he said Trump maintained the position with him there was "no quid pro quo" extended to Zelensky regarding the hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign military aid to fend off Russian aggression.
Trump's phone call in July with Zelensky suggested, and Democrats have asserted, that the aid was withheld in hopes the foreign leader would promise to probe the business dealings of Biden's son, Hunter, with a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma.
"We were also disappointed by the President's direction that we involve Mr. Giuliani. Our view was that the men and women of the State Department, not the President's personal lawyer, should take responsibility for all aspects of U.S. foreign policy towards Ukraine," Sondland said in his prepared opening remarks, which can be viewed in full at the bottom of this story.
"Inviting a foreign government to undertake investigations for the purpose of influencing an upcoming U.S. election would be wrong," he added.
"Withholding foreign aid in order to pressure a foreign government to take such steps would be wrong. I did not and would not ever participate in such undertakings. In my opinion, security aid to Ukraine was in our vital national interest and should not have been delayed for any reason."
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland (C) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on October 17 in Washington, DC.
A key witness in Democrats' impeachment probe who was named in the whistleblower report about Trump's call with Zelensky, Sondland has been under intense scrutiny after text messages revealed by impeachment investigators suggested that the EU ambassador was aware of Trump and Giuliani's efforts to have a foreign country investigate a 2020 political foe.
However, Sondland noted he was unaware of any push by Trump or Giuliani to have Zelensky investigate Biden or his son, Hunter, until media reports surfaced and a partial transcript of Trump's call was released. Sondland did not recall "taking part in any effort to encourage an investigation into the Bidens" or have conversations with any government officials about the Bidens.
"Mr. Giuliani emphasized that the President wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into anticorruption issues," the EU ambassador told lawmakers. "Mr. Giuliani specifically mentioned the 2016 election (including the DNC server) and Burisma as two anti-corruption investigatory topics of importance for the President."
His private testimony came despite efforts by the State Department, at the direction of the White House, to block him from answering lawmakers' questions. A congressional subpoena compelled Sondland's appearance. His attorneys told the committees conducting the impeachment inquiry that their client wishes to turn over subpoenaed documents to support his testimony, but that the White House and State Department are preventing him from doing so due to some of the information potentially being protected under executive privilege.
Sondland said he was first directed by Trump, who was skeptical of Zelensky's promise to tackle corruption in Ukraine, to contact Giuliani in May regarding his concerns. The directive was handed down at the disappointment of Sondland, Energy Department Secretary Rick Perry and former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker. The group believed, according to Sondland, that Trump and Zelensky should arrange a phone call "promptly and without any pre-conditions."
"It was apparent to all of us that the key to changing the President's mind on Ukraine was Mr. Giuliani," Sondland said.
Volker told impeachment investigators earlier this month that Giuliani was partially responsible for Trump's negative view on Ukraine and hindered the United State's ability to support their newly-elected government.
Sondland's text messages with Volker and acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor have been scrutinized as evidence that the group was aware of Trump and Giuliani's efforts to have Ukraine pledge an investigation into the Bidens, potentially in exchange for a White House visit and roughly $400 million in aid. But Sondland explained to lawmakers he believed the only precursor for a White House meeting between the two world leaders was a "public embrace of anti-corruption reforms," an ask that was consistent with "Western reforms" that did not raise red flags.
The EU ambassador also offered praise for ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who testified to lawmakers last week she was forced out by Trump because of "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives" who had the president's ear, including Giuliani.
"I found her to be an excellent diplomat with a deep command of Ukrainian internal dynamics, the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, and associated regional issues," Sondland said. "I was never a part of any campaign to disparage or dislodge her, and I regretted her departure."
