Rudy Giuliani’s back-channel attempts to pressure Ukraine for investigations linked to Donald Trump’s top political rival deeply unsettled two of the president’s top envoys, providing fresh evidence that undercuts White House efforts to portray the episode as innocent and routine.
In transcripts released Tuesday by the House impeachment panels, Gordon Sondland, a Trump donor serving as ambassador to the European Union, said “there was very little they could do about it if the president decided he wanted his lawyer involved” and pointed out that even Secretary of State Michael Pompeo “rolled his eyes” about Giuliani’s role.
