Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chairman of Homeland Security and Government Affairs, called in to the Brian Kilmeade Show today to discuss the response letter he sent to House Republicans earlier this week in order to share his firsthand knowledge about the U.S.-Ukraine relationship as part of the House Democrats’ impeachment proceedings. Responding to Ambassador Sondland bringing him up during his testimony, Sen. Johnson said he wasn’t surprised because “we were all in involved in trying to support Ukraine and trying to get the President to change his mind.”
“At the heart of that was a meeting between President Zelensky and President Trump because we were all convinced that if President Zelensky could get an audience with President Trump he’d be able to convince him that he’s serious about, as he said in his speech to the anti-corruption high court, not only to fight corruption but to defeat it.”
When asked if he believed there was quid pro quo, Sen. Johnson responded by referencing a phone call he had with President Trump on August 31st, in which “I was trying to convince to give me the authority to tell President Zelensky on September 5th the aid would be released, but President Trump said he wasn’t ready to do that.”
Lastly, responding to Amb. Sondland claiming he reluctantly dealt with attorney Rudy Giuliani on matters involving Ukraine, Sen. Johnson said “I have not been involved with Rudy Giuliani at all… I have no knowledge of what President Trump directed somebody to do in terms of Rudy Giuliani.”
Listen to the full interview below:
