Three key witnesses testify in impeachment inquiry

By Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha, Amanda Wills, Mike Hayes and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 8:04 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019
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1:40 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Pompeo says he's not going to recuse himself from Ukraine matters

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

Francisco Seco/AP
Francisco Seco/AP

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking to reporters today, said he won't recuse himself from Ukraine matters.

He also said he didn't watch Ambassador Gordon Sondland's testimony today. 

“I’m not going to recuse myself from this,” Pompeo said at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "I know precisely what American policy was with respect to Ukraine."

He continued: 

"I was working on it and I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished. We delivered remarkable outcomes for the Ukrainian people and I hope that we are able to continue to do so. We got them the defensive systems they need and we got them the resources. The previous administration refused to do that and I am proud, I am proud that President Trump led that effort to get our policy on Ukraine right. We not only planned for it, we laid out a plan it but and we executed and delivered on it and we’ll continue to do that. Our focus on the State Department is making sure that we get our policy right, execute it flawlessly and deliver security on behalf of the American people. We’ve done it for my first year and a half, I intend to do it every single day and I am counting on my team to remain focused on that as well."
1:11 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

The hearing is on a lunch break

The House Intelligence Committee is on now a 30-minute break. Chair Adam Schiff said they're taking the break so Ambassador Gordon Sondland can "get a bite to eat."

When they return from the break, members get five minutes each to ask questions. There are 22 members.

1:05 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Department of Energy: Sondland "misrepresented" Secretary Perry's interaction with Rudy Giuliani

From CNN's Leslie Bentz

Andrew Harnik/AP
Andrew Harnik/AP

The press secretary for the Department of Energy just released a statement denying claims Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland has made during this hearing.

The statement says Sondland “misrepresented both Secretary Perry's interaction with Rudy Giuliani and direction the Secretary received from President Trump.”

Some context: Sondland testified today that he had discussed investigations into Burisma and the Bidens in a July 19 email sent to several top US officials, including Energy Secretary Rick Perry. This came days before President Trump's call with Ukraine's president.

Read the full statement:

“Ambassador Sondland's testimony today misrepresented both Secretary Perry's interaction with Rudy Giuliani and direction the Secretary received from President Trump. As previously stated, Secretary Perry spoke to Rudy Giuliani only once at the President's request. No one else was on that call. At no point before, during or after that phone call did the words 'Biden' or 'Burisma' ever come up in the presence of Secretary Perry.”
1:03 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Nunes claims Democrats are having "Watergate fantasies"

Doug Mills/Pool via Getty Images
Doug Mills/Pool via Getty Images

Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, again went after Democrats and the impeachment inquiry, saying they are having "Watergate fantasies."

"Earlier we heard about the — we had the chair looking into the cameras telling the American people, talking about Watergate with their Watergate fantasies. I guess they fantasize about this at night and then they come here and talk about obstruction of justice because they're not giving you documents that you think you should have. So Now they've laid out their clear Watergate argument or articles of impeachment," he said.

Nunes claimed Ambassador Gordon Sondland did not have access to review Mark Sandy's testimony before today's hearing. Sandy, a senior career official at the Office of Management and Budget, testified on Saturday about a budget process that went off the rails when nearly $400 million in US military aid to Ukraine was withheld earlier this year. He said he did not know for sure the reasoning behind the freeze in funds, sources familiar with his testimony told CNN.

Watch:

12:51 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Pence's office released a statement about this testimony. Here's what you need to know.

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins

In his statement, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short said, “Multiple witnesses have testified under oath that Vice President Pence never raised Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden, Crowdstrike, Burisma, or investigations in any conversation with Ukrainians or President Zelensky before, during, or after the September 1 meeting in Poland.”

But remember: Sondland did not allege that today. He only said he brought it up with Pence before he went into his meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky. 

“The Vice President never had a conversation with Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid to Ukraine based upon potential investigations,” Short said, denying what Sondland had alleged. 

And he does not deny that Pence was aware that this was out there: Remember that during his CBS interview last month Pence refused to answer whether he was aware of “such a deal,” meaning the conditions for the aid. 

After repeated efforts, CBS's Margaret Brennan said, “I haven't gotten a clear answer from you on that though, sir. I do have to leave the interview there. But are you saying that you did not ever hear of such a deal? Is that what I understand you're describing?”

Pence replied, “I’m telling you that all of my interactions with the President, all of my conversations with President Zelensky, were entirely focused on issues of importance to the American people, ending corruption, enlisting more European support--

Brennan: “OK.”

Pence: “— and supporting Ukraine in a way that would restore its territorial integrity and stand by Ukraine for its sovereignty.”

12:46 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

White House: "No quid pro quo ever occurred"

From CNN's Betsy Klein

Echoing President Trump’s departure comments, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham reiterated in a statement that Trump “clearly stated that he ‘wanted nothing’ from Ukraine and repeated ‘no quid pro quo over and over again.’”

Here's Grisham's statement:

“Ambassador Sondland’s testimony made clear that in one of the few brief phone calls he had with President Trump, the President clearly stated that he ‘wanted nothing’ from Ukraine and repeated ‘no quid pro quo over and over again.’ In fact, no quid pro quo ever occurred. The U.S. aid to Ukraine flowed, no investigation was launched, and President Trump has met and spoken with President Zelensky. Democrats keep chasing ghosts.”

More context: Earlier today, US Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified there was a quid pro quo for Ukraine to announce investigations into President Trump's political opponents that came from the President's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani at the "express direction of the President."

12:57 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Rudy Giuliani says he "never met" Sondland

Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani is distancing himself from EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who is currently testifying.

In a now-deleted tweet, Giuliani said he "never met" Sondland.

Here's a screenshot of the tweet:

What this is about: Sondland testified today there was a quid pro quo for Ukraine to announce investigations into President Trump's political opponents that came from Rudy Giuliani at the "express direction of the President."

Sondland said he — along with Rick Perry and US diplomat Kurt Volker — didn't want to work with Giuliani on Ukraine matters, but they did so because "we were playing the hand we were dealt."

12:33 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Fact check: Trump said he didn't know Sondland well. But the President once called him a "great American."

From CNN's Daniel Dale

Patrick Semansky/AP
Patrick Semansky/AP

Moments ago, President Trump reacted to Ambassador Gordon Sondland and his testimony, saying, "This is not a man I know well."

He's made a similar comment about Sondland earlier this month after the ambassador reversed his previous testimony to impeachment investigators.

At the time, Trump said, "Let me just tell you: I hardly know the gentleman."

Fact First: Trump's remarks are significantly different than his complimentary previous comments about Sondland.

On Oct. 4, Trump tried to distance himself from other officials who had provided damaging information to impeachment investigators, saying, "I don't even know most of these ambassadors. I didn't even know their names."

But Trump made an exception for Sondland, whom he called "highly respected."

In a tweet on Oct. 8, Trump called Sondland "a really good man and great American." He said he would love to "send" Sondland to testify, but not before a "totally compromised kangaroo court."

More on their relationship: Sondland, a hotelier and major Republican donor in Oregon (who has also given to some Democrats), criticized Trump during the 2016 campaign after Trump attacked the parents of late Army Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim American who was killed in Iraq in 2004. When Trump was elected, however, Sondland donated $1 million to the inauguration through four limited liability companies, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The donation appeared to have put Sondland back in the good graces of Trump's team, but it still took Trump months to come around to the idea of nominating Sondland, CNN has previously reported. Trump nominated Sondland as EU ambassador in May 2018.

12:31 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019

Sen. McConnell says he's not watching Sondland

From CNN's Ted Barrett 

Andrew Harnik/AP
Andrew Harnik/AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN: “Yeah, I haven’t been watching the House proceedings.”

Here's what a few other senators said:

  • Sen. Thom Tillis: “I haven’t seen it or the context. I can���t comment until I see the testimony.”
  • Sen. Susan Collins said she has been in the FDA commissioner confirmation hearing all morning so hadn’t seen the testimony. “Not that I would comment anyway,” she said reminding reporters she’s not commenting on developments since she may be a juror. 
  • Sen. Ron Johnson: “I haven’t seen enough to express an opinion.”
  • Sens. Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse both declined to comment, since they would be potential jurors in the Senate.