The hearings before the United States Congress intelligence committee regarding the impeachment procedure against US President Donald Trump, initiated by the Democratic Party, are continuing. Yesterday, the US ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, testified in front of the committee. However, as before, his testimony did not provide the Democrats with clear evidence that President Trump had abused his power in relation to his dealings with Ukraine.
In the investigation of the Ukrainian scandal, the President of the United States is accused of putting pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky to launch an investigation in his country against Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden his likely Democratic Partyrival in next year’s presidential election. The Democrats want to prove that the president made the implementation of the investigation a condition of granting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military assistance to Ukraine which had been previously approved by the American Congress.
One of those who were questioned was Laura Cooper, the deputy secretary of defense, who testified about the suspension of almost $ 400 million in aid for the security of the government in Kiev as part of the pressure put on President Zelensky.
The next to be questioned was Gordon Sondland, a millionaire and donor to the Donald Trump campaign, and US ambassador to the European Union. Sondland said he received requests from Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudi Giuliani to make an agreement with Kiev. He added, however, that he had never spoken to Donald Trump in person.
Sondland also described the issue of e-mail exchanges between the US and Kiev authorities, which were known of by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US Vice President Mike Pence.
President Trump continues to refute the Democrat allegations, suggesting that the matter is expected to influence the results of the 2020 election.
The basis of the impeachment procedure implemented by the Democrats against the president is the accusation that he abused power and compromised national security in his relations with Ukraine.