Democrat hits White House spokeswoman after Trump appointee changes testimony

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) took a swipe at the White House spokeswoman Tuesday after President Trump’s appointee Gordon Sondland changed his testimony in relation to the president’s dealings with Ukraine.

Lieu took to Twitter to criticize White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham for saying the impeachment inquiry was the effort of “radical unelected bureaucrats” testifying against the president.

{mosads}His post came after a transcript of Sondland’s revised testimony was released, revealing that the Trump appointee and ambassador to the European Union said there was a clear quid pro quo in the president’s agreement with Ukraine.

“Dear @PressSec: When you used the smear term ‘radical unelected bureaucrats’ to cast aspersions on @StateDept officials who testified before Congress, were you referring to @realDonaldTrump political appointee and wealthy businessman Ambassador Gordon Sondland?” Lieu tweeted.

Dear @PressSec: When you used the smear term “radical unelected bureaucrats” to cast aspersions on @StateDept officials who testified before Congress, were you referring to @realDonaldTrump political appointee and wealthy businessman Ambassador Gordon Sondland?#TuesdayTruths https://t.co/IGEYFCM8L0

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) November 5, 2019

The California representative’s comments were a response to Grisham’s reaction to the initial reporting on diplomat William Taylor’s testimony last month. 

“President Trump has done nothing wrong — this is a coordinated smear campaign from far-left lawmakers and radical unelected bureaucrats waging war on the Constitution,” Grisham said in a statement at the time. “There was no quid pro quo.”

The transcript of Sondland’s testimony revealed that the ambassador said the president clearly withheld military aid to Ukraine in order to get the country to investigate the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden. 

The impeachment inquiry began after a whistleblower report detailed a call between Trump and the Ukrainian president in which Trump asked the country to investigate Biden days after withholding military aid. The initial hearings in the inquiry, including Sondland’s testimony, were held behind closed doors.

The president and GOP lawmakers have maintained there was no quid pro quo between the countries, but Sondland’s revised testimony sheds doubt on Trump’s claims.