Envoy changes story, says he told Ukrainians that US aid was linked to publicly launching investigations

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National News

November 5, 2019 - 8:43 PM

Gordon Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union

WASHINGTON — Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union and a key defender of President Donald Trump in the impeachment inquiry, revised his statement to House investigators, saying he now remembers telling a Ukrainian official that nearly $400 million in American aid would not likely be released unless the country publicly committed to conducting investigations that Trump wanted, according to documents released Tuesday by the House impeachment committees.

The original 10-hour Oct. 17 deposition by Sondland, a Trump donor, came under intense scrutiny in recent weeks as other impeachment witnesses offered testimony that seemed to conflict with what Sondland said under oath. Some lawmakers said it appeared Sondland committed perjury.

But in a Nov. 4 three-page declaration, Sondland revised his earlier deposition, saying the other witnesses had “refreshed my recollection.”

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