|
Ambassador Sondland blurted out: Well, we have an agreement with the chief of staff for a meeting if these investigations in the energy sector start. And Ambassador Bolton immediately stiffened. He said words to the effect—I can’t say word for word what he said because I was behind them sitting on the sofa with our Senior Director of Energy, and we all kind of looked up and thought that was somewhat odd. And Ambassador Bolton immediately stiffened and ended the meeting. | |
| Q: | Right then, he just ended the meeting? |
| A: | Yeah. He said: Well, it was very nice to see you. You know, I can’t discuss a meeting at this time. We’ll clearly work on this. And, you know, kind of it was really nice to see you. So it was very abrupt. I mean, he looked at the clock as if he had, you know, suddenly another meeting and
his time was up, but it was obvious he ended the meeting. |
494 Vindman Dep. Tr. at 17 (“The meeting proceeded well until the Ukrainians broached the subject of a meeting between the two Presidents. The Ukrainians saw this meeting as critically important in order to solidify the support for their most important international partner. Ambassador Sondland started—when Ambassador Sondland started to speak about Ukraine delivering specific investigations in order to secure the meeting with the President, Ambassador Bolton cut the meeting short.”)
495 Volker Transcribed Interview Tr. at 310.
496 Morrison-Volker Hearing Tr. at 23, 73, 103.
497 Hill Dep. Tr. at 68 (“And Ambassador Sondland said to Ambassador Volker and also Secretary Perry and the other people who were with him, including the Ukrainians, to come down to—there’s a room in the White House, the Ward Room, to basically talk about next steps. And that’s also unusual. I mean, he meant to talk to the Ukrainians about next steps about the meeting.”)
498 Id. (“And Ambassador Bolton pulled me back as I was walking out afterwards and said: Go down to the Ward Room right now and find out what they’re talking about and come back and talk to me. So I did go down.”).
499 Vindman Dep. Tr. at 64-65.
| Q: | And what do you recall specifically of what Sondland said to the Ukrainians— |
| A: | Right. |
| Q: | —in the Ward Room? |
| A: | So that is right, the conversation unfolded with Sondland proceeding to kind of, you know, review what the deliverable would be in order to get the meeting, and he talked about the investigation into the Bidens, and, frankly, I can’t 100 percent recall because I didn’t take notes of it, but Burisma, that it seemed—I mean, there was no ambiguity, I guess, in my mind. He was calling for something, calling for an investigation that didn’t exist into the Bidens and Burisma. |
| Q: | Okay. Ambiguity in your mind is different from what you— |
| A: | Sure. |
| Q: | —actually heard? |
| A: | Right. Correct. |
| Q: | What did you hear Sondland say? |
| A: | That the Ukrainians would have to deliver an investigation into the Bidens. |
| Q: | Into the Bidens. So in the Ward Room he mentioned the word “Bidens”? |
| A: | To the best of my recollection, yes. |
| Q: | Okay . Did he mention 2016? |
| A: | I don’t recall. |
| Q: | Did he mention Burisma? |
176
