By Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha, Amanda Wills, Mike Hayes and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN
President Trump, speaking to reporters today before leaving for Texas, read off a statement that appeared to be written in black Sharpie.
In large letters, the statement read:
"I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zellinsky to do the right thing. This is the final word from the Pres. of the U.S."
Ranking member Devin Nunes just wrapped up his 45-minute round of questions. Afterward, House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff announced that both the Democrats and the Republicans will each get another 30-minute round to question Gordon Sondland.
Under the protocols for the House impeachment inquiry, Schiff can add additional rounds of questioning, so long as both sides get equal time.
Only Schiff and Nunes — or their lawyers — will get to ask questions. After these 30-minute rounds, each member will get five minutes to ask questions.
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Trump spoke to reporters ahead of his departure to Austin, Texas, moments ago. He did not answer questions from reporters, instead previewing his trip and reading a statement on Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony from a notepad.
Trump distanced himself from Sondland, holding up a thick stack of papers saying, “I just noticed one thing and I would say that means it’s all over.”
Trump repeatedly said he told Sondland over the phone that on Ukraine, he wanted “nothing.”
“This is not a man I know well,” Trump emphasized. “Seems like a nice guy, though.”
Trump also noted that Sondland’s support for his presidential campaign “came in late.”
From CNN's Ted Barrett
GOP Sen. John Cornyn dismissed testimony by Ambassador Gordon Sondland about a quid pro quo, saying, “The President can meet with anybody he wants to” and the “military aid was released.”
“I just think this is an impeachment process in search of a rationale, and I don’t think they’ve gotten one yet,” he told CNN.
Asked if there is nothing here that concerns him about the President’s actions, he replied:
“I don’t necessarily agree with it. But you can disagree with the action and ... believe (that) this is not a reason to tear the country in two a year before the election.”
Several Republican senators say they haven't been watching today's hearing and bombshell testimony from Ambassador Gordon Sondland on Capitol Hill.
Here's what they said:
Gordon Sondland said he never talked to President Trump about "preconditions" for the Ukraine aid to be released, but his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani made "demands" that came from Trump.
"When the President says, 'talk to my personal attorney' and then Mr. Guiliani, as his personal attorney, makes certain requests or demands, we assume it's coming from the President," Sondland said.
Watch more:
Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short said Pence never spoke to Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens.
“The Vice President never had a conversation with Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid to Ukraine based upon potential investigations," Short said in a statement.
Here's the rest of the statement:
Ambassador Gordon Sondland was never alone with Vice President Pence on the September 1 trip to Poland. This alleged discussion recalled by Ambassador Sondland never happened.
Multiple witnesses have testified under oath that Vice President Pence never raised Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden, Crowdstrike, Burisma, or investigations in any conversation with Ukrainians or President Zelensky before, during, or after the September 1 meeting in Poland.
Some context: Sondland testified today that he raised concerns with Pence that the freezing of $400 million in security aid to Ukraine was linked to the investigations.
Analysis from CNN's Lauren Fox, Phil Mattingly, Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb
There are a lot of gaps in what US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland actually can remember: He is clear he is not a note-taker.
He doesn’t dispute many of the testimonies so far, including David Holmes, who overheard his July 26 phone call with Trump. But he doesn’t remember as clearly as other witnesses we have seen. Republicans might seize on this memory lapse in their questions.
Meanwhile, Democrats are seizing on why withholding documents is so problematic.
Sondland testified that he didn’t take notes, and he has struggled to get documents that would help jog his memory from the State Department. This helps Democrats push the narrative that the withholding of documents is an impediment for their investigation.
From CNN's Marshall Cohen
Rep. Devin Nunes once again accused Ukraine of interfering in the 2016 election to help Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and that the Democrats colluded with the Ukrainian government.
These are false conspiracy theories.
Nunes has made these controversial statements at all of the public impeachment hearings so far, but they are not true. His claims contradict testimony from multiple US national security officials, who recently told lawmakers in public hearings and private depositions that the Ukrainian government did not interfere in the 2016 election.
In addition: The FBI, CIA, DOJ, DNI, NSA, and two Congressional committees concluded that it was Russia who interfered in the 2016 election. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation confirmed these conclusions, and his 448-page report pinned the blame on the Russian government and never accused Ukraine of any interference. Many of Trump’s handpicked appointees to lead US intelligence agencies also say it was Russia who meddled in 2016.