Amid impeachment probe, Gordon Sondland is overseeing a renovation of his residence that has cost $1

[Dennis Donovan]

Source: WaPo

Amid impeachment probe, Gordon Sondland is overseeing a renovation of his residence that has cost $1 million in taxpayer money

By Michael Birnbaum, Shane Harris and John Hudson

Oct. 16, 2019 at 7:10 p.m. EDT

BRUSSELS — Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union and a central figure in the House impeachment inquiry of President Trump, is overseeing a nearly $1 million renovation of his government-provided residence, paid for with taxpayer money, that current and former officials have criticized as extravagant and unnecessary.

The work on the ambassador’s home on the outskirts of Brussels includes more than $400,000 in kitchen renovations, nearly $30,000 for a new sound system and $95,000 for an outdoor “living pod” with a pergola and electric heating, LED lighting strips and a remote-control system, government procurement records show.

The State Department also has allocated more than $100,000 for an “alternate” residence for Sondland for September and October, while work is performed.

Sondland, a hotel developer and major Trump fundraiser who had no diplomacy background before he was confirmed by the Senate in June 2018, was pivotal to the administration’s efforts to pressure the government of Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals, according to text messages and testimony from current and former officials.

He is scheduled to be deposed by impeachment investigators on Thursday and plans to say that a text message he sent Sept. 9 to the senior U.S. diplomat in Kyiv denying any quid pro quo with Ukraine, which was desperate for U.S. military aid and diplomatic support, was relayed to him directly by Trump, according to a person familiar with his testimony.

The renovations at the E.U. ambassador’s residence, which include $33,000 for handmade furniture from Italy, appeared driven by Sondland’s lavish tastes rather than practical needs, people familiar with the matter said. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity citing the situation’s sensitivity and a desire to be candid with their insights.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/amid-impeachment-probe-gordon-sondland-is-overseeing-a-renovation-of-his-residence-that-has-cost-1-million-in-taxpayer-money/2019/10/16/d0eece92-ef86-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html

[Maxheader]

1. Bring the brown smelly home...

and forgo a pay check until the expenses are covered..

[not fooled]

2. Will he even still be EU ambassador

by the time the renovations are finished?

Oh, and this guy's just another unqualified red don stooge playing with taxpayer's money to indulge his grandiose ambitions.

[Thomas Hurt]

3. something else for the inquiry to ask him about it seems.

[DENVERPOPS]

14. Ironic?

Didn't nixon's VP Spiro Agnew get thrown out of office for corruption on a million dollar in improvements to his home?

[sandensea]

4. And I bet for that $1 million, they did $1 worth of improvements

It is the Trump swamp way.

[mpcamb]

5. Gotta know there are kickbacks. This was a receipt for Dirty Gordo's 1 mill DT donation.

Cancel ALL renovations NOW and the follow the money trail.

[sandensea]

6. You know, 'gordo' happens to mean fat in Spanish

And while he may not be overweight, he's definitely a big, fat crook.

The swamp does that to people.

[LiberalFighter]

7. He should be forced to pay the costs.

[flibbitygiblets]

8. Interesting, $1M is the amount Sondlund donated to Trump, looks like a great ROI for him

bought himself an EU ambassadorship AND got $1M in "renovations" to his home in Brussels. $400K kitchen my ass.

[mr_lebowski]

12. AFAIK, it's not 'his home in Brussels' it's the US Ambassador's residence ...

Presumably the US Government owns the house, and will continue to do so after he leaves/quits/is fired/goes to jail.

Just sayin'

[dalton99a]

9. Another Republican grifter.

[dalton99a]

10. The building was "in excellent condition" before Sondland's arrival

A person who had spoken with Sondland about the renovations told the Washington Post that the U.S. embassy was “nearly unusable for representational purposes,” and noted that the upgrades cost less than moving the embassy to another location, which was proposed and scrapped during the Barack Obama administration. But a source knowledgeable about the state of the Brussels residence told me that it was “in excellent condition” before Sondland’s arrival. “It is a beautiful building, in great shape,” this person added.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/ambassador-gordon-sondland-renovations-brussels-residence

[Flaleftist]

11. A $400,000 kitchen renovation?

[B Stieg]

13. And the grifting grinds on

It's not like tRump and his minions care if there's anything left...

[DeminPennswoods]

15. At least it won't leave when Sondland does

so futher US EU ambassadors will benefit.

[Sancho]

16. insanity....

is there is no end to these crooks...

[calimary]

17. Great. HE'S mooching off the taxpayer now, too.

Adding insult to injury.

[Marthe48]

18. john kasich

as governor of Ohio, refused to live in the state provided home, and instead had updates to his private residence and stayed there. aside from the updates, it also costs more to pay security, which is provided by The Ohio Highway Patrol.

kasich might try to come across as reasonable, but he is g.o.p. and has all of the me first, me most mentality that rules that political entity.