After the House released the transcript of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony, in which he confirmed there was, in fact, quid pro quo associated with the Trump-Giuliani pressure campaign in Ukraine, Republicans aren’t happy.
According to Politico Playbook’s interviews with a handful of Republicans on Capitol Hill after the document dump Tuesday, the party is ready to toss Sondland — who many believed would be a staunch Trump ally throughout impeachment proceedings — under the bus.
“Lawmakers we spoke with called him a lackey, a chest-thumper and a rube. Of course, perhaps that’s because he turned on the president. But there is no love lost for Sondland at all,” Playbook reported.
Republicans also reportedly believe that Trump is “without a doubt” in big political trouble, according to Playbook. That’s part of the party’s rationale for moving Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) onto the House Intelligence Committee to defend Trump. The party also hopes to sidetrack upcoming public testimony by questioning the credibility of witnesses.
