There is nothing in the article that backs up the claim of:
Quote:
Sondland testified that he and his colleagues were taking directions from Rudy Giuliani on orders from the president of the United States. “Mr. Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky,” Sondland said in his opening statement.
No mention of being specifically told by Giuliani, no dates, no mention of conversations/meetings where it was explained.
However, if you keep reading when they try to explain it, you get to see:
Quote:
Sondland testified that Trump was deeply suspicious of Ukraine, despite U.S. efforts to bolster the country against Russian aggression, and that Trump “even mentioned that Ukraine tried to take him down in the last election.”
Possible corruption you say? Didn't trust Ukraine? Sounds like reason enough to want to vet things a bit more before giving up a bunch of money.
Quote:
Sondland said he was not explicitly aware of why the security aid had not been delivered to Ukraine but noted that during a Sept. 1 meeting in Warsaw, “the Ukrainians had become aware that the security funds had yet to be disbursed. In the absence of any credible explanation for the hold, I came to the conclusion that the aid, like the White House visit, was jeopardized.” Sondland said: “By the end of the August, my belief was that if Ukraine did something to demonstrate a serious intention to fight corruption, specifically addressing Burisma and 2016 server, then the hold on military aid would be lifted.”
So he admits that he wasn't aware of why the aid was held. How can there be an absence of any credible explanation if Giuliani allegedly gave him a quid? HE came to the assumption that if they did something to demonstrate intention to fight corruption, the aid would be lifted. No one told him why the aid was held or what would get it released. He said he believed his reasoning. He wouldn't be believing anything if he was told a quid. He would just make the statement that according to <insert name>, the aid was being held to force Ukraine to <insert action>. If he was instructed by Giuliani as he originally claimed, it would be that simple.
Quote:
Sondland testified that his attempts to get Ukraine to announce an investigation into Burisma and the Bidens was based on his desire to “break the logjam” and get the aid distributed and the Oval Office meeting confirmed.
So it sounds like he wanted to do whatever he could to get Ukraine the assistance. HE attempted to get Ukraine to announce an investigation to break the logjam, because he knew Trump wanted an investigation and hoped if he got it, it would be enough to convince Trump to release the aid.
Quote:
“In a very brief pull-aside conversation, that happened within a few seconds, I told [Zelensky aide Andriy] Yermak that I believed that the resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine took some kind of action on the public statement that we had been discussing for many weeks,” Sondland said. “I expressed this view to many during this period. But my goal, at the time, was to do what was necessary to get the aid released
So he believed that was the case, but NEVER gives any specific reasons as to why he believed this was the case. It would be very easy to say that Trump said it, Pence said it, <insert name> said it....but he doesn't...because it was all his doing. He wanted the aid released and hoped he had come up with something that would help it happen. He would have told Zelensky that the aid would be released once he made the public statement if that was the President's stance. Remember how Biden told them they weren't going to get their money unless the prosecutor was fired in the next few hours? He didn't say he believed they wouldn't get their money until he was fired. He had the backing of the POTUS in his statements. Sondland obviously did not.
Quote:
I believed that the public statement we had been discussing for weeks was essential to advancing that goal. I really regret that the Ukrainians were placed in that predicament, but I do not regret doing what I could to try to break the logjam and to solve the problem.”
Again, he just assumed it. He put the Ukrainians in that predicament, but admits he was doing what he could to get them the aid. No one keeps saying they believed anything if they were given direction.