Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has a new theory for why EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland revised his impeachment testimony.
During an interview on Fox News Wednesday night, Graham accused Sondland of conspiring with “Democratic operatives” and House Intel Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), which Graham suggested led Sondland to revise his impeachment testimony.
Graham particularly took aim at the section in Sondland’s revised testimony where he stated that he now recalls telling Ukrainian officials that U.S. military aid was contingent upon making a “public anti-corruption statement” related to an investigation into the gas company where former Vice President Joe Biden’s son sat on the board of and the origins of the Russia probe.
“Not one person has talked to President Trump about whether or not he wanted a quid pro quo,” Graham said. “[State Department diplomat Bill] Taylor is saying he assumed there was a quid pro quo based on what Sondland told him, the EU ambassador. He said previously there was not, now his memory has been refreshed.”
When Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked the notorious Trump defender about Schiff saying that the release of testimony transcripts prove that the “most important facts are largely not contested,” Graham said “that statement is full of crap” before stoking a conspiracy accusing Sondland of switching up his testimony because of a “connection” with Democratic operatives.
“Why did Sondland change his testimony?” Graham said. “Was there a connection between Sondland and Democratic operatives on the committee? Did he talk to Schiff? Did he talk to Schiff’s staffers?”
Graham then pointed out that he’s “been a lawyer for a very long time” as he continued his rant against Sondland’s testimony.
“When someone remembers something they didn’t know before it makes me incredibly suspicious,” Graham said. “Why did Sondland change his mind? What prompted him to change his mind about maybe there was a quid pro quo when I said there wasn’t?”
Watch Graham’s remarks below:
Graham accuses Sondland of conspiring with Dems to go after Trump pic.twitter.com/1BmUcfDZDf
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 7, 2019
Earlier this week, Graham unleashed his latest talking point that the Trump administration’s approach to policy in Ukraine is “incoherent” and officials are “incapable of forming a quid pro quo.” Graham also told reporters that he doesn’t plan on reading the deposition transcripts of the impeachment inquiry because he thinks “this is a bunch of B.S.”
Graham isn’t the only Republican on Capitol Hill going after Sondland. On Wednesday morning, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) dismissed the EU ambassador’s revised testimony as his “opinion.”
