A wealthy former hotel magnate from Oregon, Sondland was tapped for the EU ambassador position after donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. He made the contributions through four separate limited liability corporations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign donations.
In recent days, Sondland has emerged as a central player in the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Ukrainian officials to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and probe a conspiracy theory about Ukraine's alleged role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Sondland has been central to House Democrats’ investigation into President Donald Trump and Ukraine over his involvement in a “shadow” policy campaign in Ukraine at the behest of the President.
Sondland was confirmed to the ambassador role on June 29, 2018.
Early in the impeachment inquiry, Sondland’s text messages with Taylor emerged as a key data point for impeachment investigators, in which Sondland told Taylor there was “no quid pro quo” after speaking to Trump about the matter.
After the election, Sondland donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee through four limited liability companies, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Sondland has been a player in Republican politics for a number of years but wasn’t always a Trump supporter.
A spokeswoman for Sondland said at the time that he would not be hosting or attending any Seattle or Portland fundraisers for the Trump campaign, Willamette Week reported.
He had worked on the transition team for Oregon Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who was governor from 2003 to 2011. Sondland also worked as a principal Republican liaison for Oregon and the White House. He also chaired the governor’s Office of Film and Television.
Gordon Sond land compared to John Dean. Gordon Sondland compared to John Dean 06:01. Washington — Gordon Sondland, the former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union who was a key witness in the 2019 impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump, filed suit against the U.S. government and ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, ...
Trump. The lawsuit says Sondland was reimbursed $86,040 for his legal costs, but he argues that is far less than Pompeo's promise for "full reimbursement" by the federal government.
Sondland, who was fired after his bombshell testimony in the impeachment probe, said he incurred nearly $1.8 million in legal fees and accused Pompeo of abandoning his pledge that the State Department would cover his costs for political convenience. "If Pompeo did not have the authority to bind the government, Pompeo went rogue ...
In public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland implicated Mr. Trump and Pompeo in the purported "quid pro quo" and claimed top government officials knew of the arrangement.
Calling his testimony "highly fraught, highly charged and highly risky with tremendous consequences," Sondland's lawyers said he learned that "testifying truthfully and candidly before Congress as cameras roll was in fact a fireable offense in Pompeo's" State Department.
Recalling a conversation with the counselor to the Department of State, Ulrich Brechbuhl, in early February 2020, Sondland said he was advised the Trump administration wanted to "purge everyone" connected to the impeachment trial, and Brechbuhl asked for his resignation. Sondland, however, refused to resign, arguing he did nothing improper.