Sondland: ‘We Weren’t Happy with the President’s Directive to “Talk To Rudy”’

EXCERPT:

SONDLAND: “President Trump was skeptical. He expressed concerns that the Ukrainian government was not serious about reform and even mentioned that Ukraine tried to take him down in the last election. In response to our persistent efforts in that meeting to change his views, President Trump directed us to, quote, 'Talk with Rudy.' We understood that 'Talk with Rudy' meant talk to Mr. Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer. Let me say again, we weren’t happy with the president’s directive to talk to Rudy. We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani. I believed then as I do now that the men and women of the State Department, not the president’s personal lawyer, should take responsibility for Ukraine matters. Nonetheless, based on the president's direction we were faced with a choice. We could abandon the efforts to schedule the White House phone call and a White House visit between Presidents Trump and Zelensky, which was unquestionably in our foreign policy interests, or we could do as President Trump had directed and talk with Rudy.”