President Donald Trump emphasized Wednesday he told Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland he wanted no quid pro quo with Ukraine.
Trump referred to Sondland’s testimony as the ambassador testified to the House Intelligence Committee.
“That means it’s all over,” Trump said to reporters as he left the White House, adding he “turned off the television” after he heard Sondland’s recollection of a call he had with the president about Ukraine.
Sondland testified Trump told him twice that he wanted nothing from Ukraine, other than President Zelensky to do the right thing.
The president read off the testimony transcript from his notes as he left the White House for Texas to visit an Apple computer manufacturing plant.
“It was a very short and abrupt conversation that he had with me,” Trump said.
Trump recalled Sondland repeatedly asked him what he wanted from Ukraine.
“I want nothing, I said it twice,” Trump said, adding again he said he wanted “no quid pro quo.”
Trump scolded reporters at the White House, saying,”If you weren’t fake news, you would cover it properly.”
The only part of Sondland’s testimony that Trump disputed was Sondland’s assertion that the president was in a bad mood during the call.
“I’m always in a good mood, I don’t know what that is,” he said.
Trump again distanced himself from Sondland, saying he only spoke to him a few times.
“I don’t know him very well,” Trump said, recalling that Sondland supported other Republicans in the 2016 presidential primary. “I have not spoken to him much. This is not a man I know well. He seems like a nice guy though.”
Trump repeated his claim on Twitter, after leaving the White House.
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