Former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker made some alterations to his story in his opening statement Tuesday, trying to get his account more on board with the other testimonies lawmakers have now heard.
He said that he found the investigations that Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland raised during the July 10 meeting with former National Security Advisor John Bolton “inappropriate” — whereas previously, he denied that such investigations were ever raised at all.
Volker, one of the “three amigos” — along with Sondland and Energy Secretary Rick Perry — also tried to distance himself from the unofficial backchannel the three of them helmed, saying that his role was strictly in the “official channel.”
He added that he “cringes” when he hears the term, and said that he was never aware of any “designation” putting the three of them in charge of Ukraine policy.
Read his opening remarks here:
