Sondland implicates top officials in "quid pro quo" Ukraine scheme

Washington -- In the most explosive testimony in the impeachment inquiry to date, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union told House lawmakers that he and other diplomats sought a "quid pro quo" arrangement with Ukraine, executing an ultimately unsuccessful scheme that was known and supported by the highest levels of government.

Ambassador Gordon Sondland implicated President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the effort to persuade Ukraine to announce supposed anti-corruption investigations in exchange for a coveted White House meeting. The investigations targeted supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 campaign and a Ukrainian gas company that had employed Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son.