U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor on Wednesday said during his House impeachment inquiry testimony that on July 26, EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland called President Donald Trump from Kyiv—and that his staff overheard the president asking Sondland about “the investigations.”
“The member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone, asking Ambassador Sondland about ‘the investigations,’” Taylor recalled. “Ambassador Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward.” Taylor said his staffer asked Sondland what Trump thought about Ukraine and the EU ambassador said the president cared “more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for.”
Taylor did not include these details in his deposition last month, saying Wednesday that he did not originally recall the encounter. His updated testimony raises questions about what Ukrainian officials committed to, and when, in exchange for a White House visit and the delivery of U.S. aid to the country.
