Page 21 - Two Plus News Today

>> this is a slow-motion explosion. >> i cant emphasize how explosive this is. >> we have witnessed today on live television, riveting. >> ambassador sondland testimony had such gravity to it. speak of this was an ied from mr. solid. he exploded. >> laura: he physically exploded? that could have gotten messy. but when we leave their world of make-believe, we see that there is no there there. >> president trump never told me directly that the aide was conditioned on the means. >> so it wasnt real...

>> laura: presuming, thinking, believing, feeling. we are going to impeach a president on someones opinion in the absence of cold, hard fact? there were a lot of opinions and beliefs of today but zero evidence. >> my belief was, i believe that was to be the case. i was presuming that it was. >> i think. >> my personal presumption. >> that was my belief. >> my personal belief. >> my personal belief, as you put it, two plus two equals four. >> laura: hes good at math, too. two plus two equals four...

Wrong. >> you said what do you want from ukraine? the president, i want nothing. i want no quid pro quo. >> reporter: highlighting ukraine eventually received military aid without announcing any investigations >> you got all three of them wrong. they get the call. they get the meeting they get the money its not two plus two. its 0 for 3 ive never seen anything like this >> reporter: and republicans seized on sondlands testimony that there is no direct link to president trump. >> i dont recall pr...

This quid pro quo that in order to get the white house meeting, there were going to have to be these investigations the president wanted >> correct >> reporter: but on the question of a quid pro quo for military aid that was being withheld at the time, sondland says he presumed the aid was tied to ukraine announcing investigations, but did not know for sure. >> the military assistance was also being withheld pending zelensky announcing these investigations, correct? >> that was my presumption. m...

>> it became your clear understanding that the military assistance was also being withheld pending zelensky announcing these investigations. correct? >> that was my presumption. my personal presumption based on the facts at the time. nothing was moving. >> reporter: but sondland acknowledges the president never told him directly. >> i dont recall president trump ever talking to me about any security assistance, ever. >> is this kind of a two plus two equals four conclusion that you reached? >> p...

Congratulatory letter from the president, saying he would meet him in may. we had not been able to get that meeting. then thege security hold came u. with no explanation. and i -- i would be surprised if any of the ukrainians -- we discussed earlier, sophisticated people, when they receive no explanation for why that hold was in place, they wouldnt have drawn that oconclusion. >> because theaw investigations were still being pursued and the hold was still remaining without explanation? >> utcorr...

Take me down. >> thats correct. >> tried to take him down. i think any logical person that wants to do two plus two equals four games would say that that was in the 2016 election. wasnt it? >> i believe thats what he was referring to, yes, ranking member. >> so, during all of this time, remember, in the spring, the democrats russia hoax witch hunt is still ongoing. theyre still claiming that president trump is a russian agent. theyre out to get -- theyre out to get president trump at the time. h...

Aid would not occur until there was a public statement from ukraine committing to the investigations. correct? >> correct. >> and you acknowledge that this is speculation. right? >> it was a presumption. >> okay. but you -- it was a guess, in fact, i think you even said this morning? >> well, i want to say that it goes back to mr. goldmans point or chairman schiffs, two plus two equalled four in my mind at that point. >> okay. but you didnt have any everyday of that correct? >> other than the ai...

Conversations, plus, mr. castor, ive had pa lot of conversations with the president about completely unrelated matters that have nothing to do with ukraine. >> okay. so, but you dont think were missing any material conversations you had with the president? >> i dont recall any material conversations today as im sitting here. >> or with rudy guiliani? >> yeah. my memory about the conversations with rudy guiliani whether they were direct, whether they were conference calls with ambassador volker o...

Of state? >> correct. >> now, have you seen the acting chief of staff press conference in which he acknowledged that the military aid was withheld in part because of a desire to get that 2016 investigation youve talked about? >> i dont think i saw it live. i saw it later, yeah. >> so you saw him acknowledge publicly what you have confirmed, too, that mr. mulvaney understood that two plus two equals four, is that right? >> well, again, i didnt know that the aid was conclusively tied. i was presum...