Ambassador Taylor

Ambassador Bill Taylor testified today that President Trump directly linked funding for Ukraine to an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden.According to several people in the room, Mr. Taylor acknowledged that the President wanted an investigation into Mr. Biden, as well as a public statement from Ukraine that they were also investigating the company that Mr. Biden’s son worked for.Members of Congress who heard the testimony described it as “devastating for the President.” In his opening statement , “Taylor said that he and Sondland spoke by phone about why the aid was frozen, and Sondland cited the need for Ukraine to open an investigation among other reasons.”Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch described the testimony as “ a sea change ” in the investigation.“He drew a very direct line in a series of events,” explained Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz . “He described as being President Trump's decision to withhold funds and refuse a meeting with Zelensky unless there was a public pronouncement by him of investigations of Burisma.”: According to Ambassador Taylor’s opening statement, EU Ambassador Sondland specifically confirmed a quid pro quo: “During that phone call Ambassador Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President Zelensky to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US election.”: Read Ambassador Taylor's opening statement: