Trump has sought to distance himself from Sondland, a wealthy hotelier and donor to his inauguration, though on Wednesday he highlighted one exchange during which he told Sondland there was “no quid pro quo” in his interactions with Ukraine.
“The only thing that I’ve seen that Sondland said was that – he did speak with me for a brief moment – and I said no quid pro quo under any circumstances,” Trump said during the press conference with the Turkish president.
Trump labeled the House impeachment inquiry a “sham” that “shouldn’t be allowed” when asked for his reaction to the hearing, which had just concluded, earlier during the press conference.