Fox News contributor Ken Starr asserts that Sondland's testimony leaves a “muddled situation”
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From the November 20, 2019, edition of Fox News’ America’s Newsroom
BILL HEMMER (ANCHOR): From what you've been able to glean off of this, in a quick speed read, what do you see as critical right now for Sondland?
KEN STARR (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR, FORMER INDEPENDENT COUNSEL): Right. Well, it looks as if there may be a bombshell or two in this, and that's what we're looking for. Let's see what he says. He could revise this up to the very moment — he said, “You know, I have another take on this” — but I doubt it.
So we're looking to whether there is something that is a game changer. So we need to listen to this very, very carefully. One thing he expresses frustration with is that he's not had access to his documents. That's hard on a witness. So I have a lot of sympathy, or empathy, for him in that situation.
But is he going to say those words, magic or otherwise, that say, “This was the deal. The president said there is, in fact, however you describe it, a quid pro quo”? Now, let's assume the worst. Let's assume that the testimony is quite unflattering and unfortunate to the president. We're still going to be left — I'm going to jump ahead and say — we're still going to be left with a muddled record, a muddled record going into the deliberations of the Judiciary Committee and so forth.
But it certainly does help buttress the absolutely emotional appeal, a closing argument as it were, by Adam Schiff last evening. Because he knew that the day had not gone well — notwithstanding some of the strange media coverage that the day went very well for the Democratic side. It did not. No witness was terrific against the president — and I would say all of them pointed in favor of the president. Is that going to dramatically change with Gordon Sondland's testimony? It could, so that we have a muddled record going ahead. The real issue is, the senators are watching. Are senators going to now say in light of what we hear today — it's going to be a long day, even with the ambassador alone — in light of what we have heard, we need to make a trip down to the White House? That historic example set during the Nixon presidency. From what I've been able to glean, I don't think that's going to happen. But obviously, what happens today could, has the potential to be a game changer.