"It was during the House Intelligence Committee hearings on Mr Trump's blackmail scheme that he told the panel there had indeed been a "quid pro quo" in which Mr Zelensky would announce investigations into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for a White House visit and approval to purchase the Javelin missiles Ukraine's defence forces have been using to defend against the invasion Russia launched in February. At the time, Mr Biden was seen as a potential 2020 presidential contender."

In an interview with The Washington Post, Mr Sondland called himself a "doofus" for his part in the hearings, but in hindsight said one "had to have been there" when asked if he wished he had tried to stop the arrangement, which was largely brokered by Mr Trump's then-personal lawyer, ex-New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani."

do tell