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Journalism of Courage
As the testimonies against Donald Trump continued as part of the impeachment inquiry hearings, a handwritten note by the US President denying all the allegations went viral.
Gordon Sondland, President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday for the impeachment inquiry hearings. Sondland said that he had worked with Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine policy at the “express direction” of the president, and that he had been told by Giuliani that Trump wanted to pressure Ukraine by withholding military aid in order to get an investigation.
The note read, “I WANT NOTHING. I WANT NOTHING. I WANT NO QUID PRO QUO. TELL ZELLINSKY TO DO THE RIGHT THING. THIS IS THE FINAL WORD FROM THE PRES OF THE U.S.”
Like in other cases of Trump’s handwritten notes — people looked for errors, and tried to verify whether the president had written it or whether it was handed to him by an aide. The debate quickly moved on memes and photoshop battles.
https://twitter.com/espiers/status/1197210359809150981
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“I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo,”” the president told a U.S. diplomat in a September phone call. Reading from a page of Sharpie-scrawled comments on an Air Force One notepad, Trump re-enacted the conversation in dramatic fashion Wednesday on the South Lawn and insisted it should dispel the impeachment cloud over his head.
Sondland testified Wednesday that he couldn’t remember Trump ever telling him directly the aid would be held up until the statement was made.
[with inputs from AP]
