If you weren’t paying attention to the Wednesday impeachment hearings, you might have missed U.S. Ambassador to the E.U., Gordon Sondland mentioning former Texas Gov., and outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry in his testimony to House impeachment investigators.
Sondland identified himself, Perry and former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker as the “three amigos.” The group managing U.S.-Ukraine relations on behalf of the White House. The three were allegedly instructed by President Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to put pressure on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Trump’s political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, in exchange for U.S. military aid — the so called “quid pro quo.”
Rebecca Deen, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Texas at Arlington, considers what Perry’s involvement in the Ukraine-U.S. investigation might mean.
“It sure seems like Sondland suggests that Rudy Giuliani tasked [him], Rick Perry and Volker as the folks who would lead this charge on what the president wanted with regard to Ukraine,” Deen says. “I think the important part of this is that [Sondland] traces the breadcrumbs all the way back to the president.”
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– What is Perry’s involvement in the Ukraine scandal
– How does Sondland’s testimony strengthen the Democrats’ case for impeaching Trump
– How have Perry and Trump responded to Sondland’s testimony
Written by Antonio Cueto.
