page_title: Gordon Sondland
section_title: United States ambassador to the European Union
hierarchical_section_title: Gordon Sondland / United States ambassador to the European Union
caption_attribution_description: U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo poses for a photo with U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources Francis Fannon and U.S. Representative to the European Union Gordon Sondland and European Union High Representative and Vice President Federica Mogherini at the United States EU Energy Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium on July 12, 2018. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
context_page_description: Gordon David Sondland is an American diplomat and businessperson. He served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from 2018 to 2020. Sondland is also the founder and former chairman of Provenance Hotels. In November 2019, Sondland testified as a witness at the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. He was fired by Trump on February 7, 2020, two days after the conclusion of Trump's impeachment trial.
context_section_description: In March 2018, it was reported that President Trump selected Sondland to be the next United States ambassador to the European Union, a position which had been vacant since January 2016.  Sondland's nomination received bipartisan support and he was confirmed on June 28, 2018. 
  As ambassador, Sondland said that strengthening US-EU trade relations is a top priority. He has supported using a strong US-EU economic partnership to counter what he has called "economic aggression and unfair trade practices" from China. In pursuit of this end, Sondland has promoted the idea of giving European governments access to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to allow them to better screen investors.
  Sondland has worked on data protection rules regarding U.S. compliance with the EU-US privacy shield.  He has also pledged to work with the EU to address global security threats. He has been the Trump Administration's lead in talks with EU member countries on the U.S.'s decertification and withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal. Sondland has repeatedly criticized EU member countries' creation of a "special purpose vehicle" (SPV) to bypass reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran, calling the SPV a "paper tiger."
  Sondland has been a vocal opponent of the construction of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would transport gas across the Baltic Sea to the EU. He has argued that the pipeline would leave the EU dependent upon Russia for its energy needs and increase Russia’s leverage on key U.S. allies in NATO. Sondland argued that "Putin uses energy as a political weapon. The EU should not rely on a bare-chested version of the Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort as a supplier, even if his gas is a bit cheaper." 
  The Washington Post writes that Sondland gained a reputation for "being indiscreet" and that officials "chastised [him] for using his personal phone for state business."  He habitually traveled to Romania, Israel and other countries without coordinating his meetings with other officials.  It was noted that he seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in Washington.  A former White house official commented,  “He always seemed to be in D.C.  People would say, ‘Does he spend any time in Brussels?’ ”  The Post writes, "Sondland’s approach to the job was seen more as a source of irritation than trouble until May [2019], when he moved to stake his claim to the U.S.-Ukraine relationship."
caption: Sondland at the United States–EU Energy Council meeting in Brussels on July 12, 2018
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