Democratic congressman gets applause for getting Gordon Sondland to say an investigation into the Bidens would benefit Trump

Maloney asked Sondland about who would benefit from the possible Ukrainian probe three times before the ambassador gave an answer.
"I assume President Trump would benefit," Sondland finally replied before insisting that he had been "very forthright" in his testimony before Congress.
Maloney then pointed out that Sondland had revised his testimony several times and claims to have forgotten multiple key incidents.
"With all due respect sir, we appreciate your candor, but let's be really clear on what it took to get it out of you," Maloney said.
Follow along with our live coverage of the hearings here .
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a New York Democrat, won applause during Wednesday's impeachment hearing for a line of questioning that led to US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland testifying that a potential Ukrainian investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son would benefit the president.

Maloney asked Sondland about who would benefit from the possible Ukrainian probe three times before the ambassador gave an answer.

"I assume President Trump would benefit," Sondland finally replied.

"There we go," Maloney said, as the crowd broke into applause. "There we have it. See? Didn't hurt a bit, did it?"

Sondland then interjected to say he resented Maloney's implication that he hadn't been honest.

"Excuse me, I've been very forthright and I really resent what you're trying to do," Sondland said.

Maloney then pointed out that Sondland had already altered his testimony several times since testifying behind closed doors, suggesting the ambassador hasn't been honest in his retelling of the president's pressure campaign on Ukraine. Sondland has also claimed that he doesn't remember key conversations and didn't take contemporaneous notes about his dealings with the White House and Ukraine.

"With all due respect sir, we appreciate your candor, but let's be really clear on what it took to get it out of you," the congressman responded.