Top Trump ally admits tying Ukraine aid to Biden investigation
US Ambassador Gordon Sondland (centre) arrives at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on October 17, 2019. He admitted that he told a Ukraine official that US military aid was contingent on Kiev investigating Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden, in testimony released on November 5. PHOTO | SAUL LOEB | AFP
Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, said it was the culmination of months of pressure placed on Kiev, primarily via Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, to open "anti-corruption" investigations into the Bidens and into Trump's unfounded belief that Ukraine assisted the Democrats in the 2016 election.
Other witnesses have said that White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was responsible for freezing the Ukraine aid in mid-July, and that he told others it was done at Trump's command.
