Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Gordon Sondland, the former diplomat who became a key witness<\/a> in former President Donald Trump\u2019s first impeachment over frozen Ukraine aid, is now working his contacts in Washington to ensure financial support for the country\u2019s war with Russia keeps flowing.<\/p>\n Sondland, who served as Trump\u2019s ambassador to the European Union<\/a> before getting wrapped up in the impeachment probe, registered last week as a foreign agent of Ukraine and the EU, according to DOJ filings. The former hotelier said in an interview that the registration stemmed from an abundance of caution because of the Justice Department\u2019s crackdown in recent years on foreign lobbying. He said that his advocacy was on a volunteer basis.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve not been hired by Ukraine. I’m not being paid by Ukraine,\u201d he told POLITICO. \u201cThere’s no money involved. I’m simply helping Ukraine advocate for their interests with people I know in Congress and elsewhere.\u201d Sondland said he\u2019s also working with the EU and European Central Bank on getting more Ukraine aid approved.<\/p>\n \u201cI registered under [the Foreign Agents Registration Act] because if you don’t, it comes back to bite you,\u201d Sondland argued. \u201cI want to be in a position to argue forcefully that we need to support Ukraine, and I don’t want to be accused of a FARA violation when I do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sondland\u2019s registration was first reported by The Washington Free Beacon<\/a>. And it pits him, once more, against the ex-president he once served. Trump has signaled opposition<\/a> to U.S. aid to Ukraine and suggested that if aid is sent, it should be as a loan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sondland wouldn\u2019t disclose who he\u2019s been talking to as part of the effort to secure more funds. His work comes as attempts to approve a fresh tranche of military assistance for Ukraine have languished for months amid Republican opposition.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m trying to win the hearts and minds of those who aren’t quite there yet,\u201d he said, though he expressed optimism about that happening.<\/p>\n The former ambassador is no stranger to debates surrounding U.S. aid for Ukraine.<\/p>\n During House Democrats\u2019 2019 impeachment probe, which centered on Trump withholding U.S. military aid<\/a> from Ukraine, Sondland testified that he viewed Trump\u2019s demands as a quid pro quo<\/a> to pressure Ukrainian leaders to investigate corruption in the country and possible business dealings involving now-President Joe Biden. That testimony ultimately helped form the basis of the impeachment investigators\u2019 case.<\/p>\n Sondland, who\u2019d been tapped by Trump to coordinate Ukraine policy alongside Energy Secretary Rick Perry, was removed from his post in Brussels<\/a> in 2020 within days of the Senate voting to acquit Trump on the two articles of impeachment.<\/p>\n Despite his high-profile fissure with the Republican Party\u2019s presumptive presidential nominee, Sondland told POLITICO he hadn\u2019t experienced any pushback over his role in Trump\u2019s impeachment as part of his present-day conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cI still believe very strongly in Ukraine’s right to its sovereignty and that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing,\u201d he said, adding that he didn\u2019t see any inconsistencies between his involvement in the impeachment and his activity now.<\/p>\n