Public hearings in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump continued on Capitol Hill Wednesday, with Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union who has emerged as a key witness in the probe, testifying in an open session.

In his opening statement, Sondland testified that there was a quid pro quo in Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, and that the White House, State Department and Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, arranged it.

“Everyone was in the loop,” he said.

Yahoo News is providing a live, uninterrupted video stream of the proceedings as well as instant analysis from reporters in Washington, D.C., and beyond in the live blog below.

Live

• G9 minutes agoGordon Donovan

  Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, listens to Sondland’s testimony Wednesday. (Yara Nardi/Reuters)

• G9 minutes agoGordon Donovan

  Sondland gives his opening statement as he testifies on Capitol Hill Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

• D10 minutes agoDylan Stableford
  

  ‘A$AP Rocky’ now part of congressional record

  Sondland testified that he has no reason to doubt witnesses who overheard his July 26 call with President Trump at a restaurant in Kyiv, and while he does not recall Trump speaking about the “investigations,” he has no reason to doubt that, either.

  “I think we primarily discussed A$AP Rocky,” Sondland said, referring to the U.S. rapper who had been jailed in Sweden.

• G33 minutes agoGordon Donovan

  Sondland gives his opening statement as he testifies on Capitol Hill Wednesday. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)

• D35 minutes agoDylan Stableford
  

  ‘Everyone was in the loop’

  In his opening statement, Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified to the House Intelligence Committee that there was a quid pro quo in President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, and that Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were all in on it.

  “I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo’?” Sondland said. “The answer is yes.”

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  “Everyone was in the loop,” Sondland continued. “It was no secret.”

  Sondland specifically called out Pompeo and members of the State Department.

  “They knew what we were doing and why,” he said.

  Sondland said that Giuliani relayed to officials that Trump “wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election. Mr. Giuliani expressed those requests directly to the Ukrainians. Mr. Giuliani also expressed those requests directly to us. We all understood that these pre-requisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.

  “Mr. Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky,” he testified. “Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of the 2016 election/DNC server and Burisma. Mr. Giuliani was expressing the desires of the president of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the president.”

  Click here to read Sondland’s statement in full.

• G36 minutes agoGordon Donovan

  Gordon Sondland is sworn in to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

• G1 hour agoGordon Donovan

  Sondland raises a paper cup before testifying on Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

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