Donald Trump

mickeyrat

Key impeachment witness Gordon Sondland sues Mike Pompeo and U.S. for $1.8 million in legal fees

By

John Hudson

May 24, 2021 at 8:45 a.m. EDT

President Donald Trump’s former ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, is suing former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and the U.S. government for $1.8 million to compensate for legal fees incurred during the 2019 House impeachment probe.

The suit, filed Monday in federal court in the District of Columbia, alleges that Pompeo reneged on his promise that the State Department would cover the fees after Sondland delivered bombshell testimony accusing Trump and his aides of pressuring the government of Ukraine to investigate then presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for military aid.

Sondland, a Portland hotel magnate appointed by Trump to serve as ambassador, became a key witness of the impeachment probe because of his firsthand knowledge of conversations with Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani and senior Ukrainian officials — as well as his punchy answers, affable demeanor and colorful language.

The allegations in the suit also offer new details on Sondland’s rapid devolution from Trump insider to political outcast in the span of days.

The complaint alleges that Pompeo told Sondland that government lawyers would not be made available to represent him but that if he hired his own counsel, his attorney fees would be covered by the U.S. government. Top aides to Pompeo also acknowledged this commitment, the suit alleges, but “everything changed” after Sondland delivered his testimony alleging a “quid pro quo” and then refused to resign despite a request from one of Pompeo’s most trusted aides, Ulrich Brechbuhl.

“Ambassador Sondland confirmed he would not resign because he did not do anything improper. After that, everything changed. Ambassador Sondland did not receive his attorneys’ fees, notwithstanding the promises from the State Department that the attorneys’ fees would be paid,” the suit alleges.

Sondland is demanding that the U.S. government cover the fees or Pompeo pay out of his own pocket. The suit argues that Pompeo’s actions as secretary of state should not be subject to governmental immunity because the promise “was self-serving, made entirely for personal reasons for his own political survival in the hopes that Ambassador Sondland would not implicate him or others by his testimony.”

Lawyers for Pompeo did not immediately return a request for comment.

In the past year, Sondland’s businesses empire, including several hotels in Portland, was badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which decimated tourism across the country. Before being tapped by Trump for the ambassador position, Sondland donated $1 million to the president’s inaugural committee.

Sondland’s falling out with the Trump administration over the legal fees, as described in the suit, coincided with a public falling out during the impeachment hearings.

Initially, Sondland said he had no knowledge of a quid pro quo between the Trump administration and Ukraine. He later revised his testimony and acknowledged that he, in fact, played a role in implementing it.

“Was there a quid pro quo?” Sondland said during his testimony. “With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

“Everyone was in the loop,” he said. “It was no secret.”

Trump distanced himself from Sondland following the testimony, telling reporters “I hardly know the gentleman” after praising him as a “great American” just days earlier.

The suit alleges that Sondland’s legal bills were so high in part because the Trump administration restricted “access to materials essential to his preparation,” which forced the legal team to “reconstruct” dates and itineraries and accounts necessary for his testimony.

The State Department paid Sondland $86,040 for his legal fees, which the suit says falls far short of Pompeo’s promise of “full reimbursement.”

Trump fired Sondland on Feb. 7, 2020, two days after the president was acquitted of two impeachments charges in the Senate. Sondland said the firing came “hours” after he refused to resign.

“Since then, the government has bobbed and weaved” in the face of his attorneys’ attempts to recoup the expenses, the suit claims.

A statement provided by Sondland’s attorney, Skip Miller, said the former ambassador “harbors no ill will against” Pompeo but is “simply seeking reimbursement, as was promised by Secretary Pompeo.”

Mark Zaid, a lawyer in Washington who has represented numerous U.S. officials in lawsuits with the government, including the Trump administration, said Sondland’s attempt for reimbursement appears morally justifiable but would be a long shot.

“There should be provisions for government officials who are unwittingly pulled into political battles that they have their legal fees covered,” Zaid said. “He did the right thing. He stepped up and fulfilled his role as a representative of the U.S. government.”

But secretaries of state are often granted broad immunity from actions they take while in government, he said. “The sad fact is that sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t lead to a reward, and unfortunately it has a cost,” he said.

Ashley Parker contributed to this report.

• washingtonpost.com
• © 1996-2021 The Washington Post

mickeyrat

 

Coronavirus pandemic Immigration Government and politics

Watchdog: US forced deported parents to leave kids behind

By BEN FOX

Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog says the Trump administration, under its practice of separating families at the border, forced migrant parents to leave the U.S. without their children, contradicting claims by officials that parents were willingly leaving them behind.

The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General said in a report released Monday that it found at least 348 cases in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no records showing migrants wanted to leave their children in the U.S. It also found “some” cases in which agency officials deported parents even while knowing they wanted to take their children with them.

That contradicted assertions by senior DHS officials that parents were choosing to leave their children in the U.S. to stay with family or for other reasons while they were deported in 2017 and 2018 as the administration sought to enforce a hard-line approach to immigration enforcement.

The findings, issued by Trump-appointed Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, provide new insight into a policy that became a significant political crisis for the previous administration and a continuing challenge for the current one, which is working to reunite children who remain separated even now.

“Those who conceived of this travesty will have to live with the memory of their cruelty for the rest of their lives," said Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who is chair of the Judiciary Committee and requested the report.

The Trump administration separated thousands of migrant parents from their children since the summer of 2017 as it moved to criminally prosecute people for illegally crossing the southwest border. Minors could not be held in criminal custody with their parents and were transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The mass separation of families sparked public outrage and a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, which also collected reports of parents being deported without the opportunity to take their children with them.

“Throughout the litigation, we learned that some parents were even told their child would join them on the plane only to have the plane take off without the child," ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said.

That contradicts what DHS officials were telling the public.

Then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, according to the report, testified to Congress in December 2018 that “every parent” had a choice to take their child back to their country and those who did not “made the choice not to have the child accompany them.”

Nielsen told Congress in March 2019 that there has been “no parent who has been deported, to my knowledge, without multiple opportunities to take their children with them."

Nielsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She has said previously that her agency did not set out to intentionally separate families but had no choice because the administration was criminally prosecuting border-crossers.

Trump issued an executive order halting the practice of family separations in June 2018, days before a federal judge's ruling that did the same and demanded that separated families be reunited.

In response to the report, ICE said it concurred with the findings and is working to address the issues around recordkeeping raised in the report.

Shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden set up a task force to reunite hundreds of children who remain separated. It announced the first four reunifications this month.

That effort is going on as the Biden administration confronts an increase in the number of migrants under 18 attempting to cross the southwest border by themselves.

The administration has transferred about 19,000 to facilities overseen by HHS. Those children are being allowed to remain in the U.S. while the government decides whether they have a legal claim to residency through a citizen parent or for some other reason.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to turn back adult migrants, including asylum-seekers, and many families crossing together under a public health order issued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ikiT

"effectively"  

Without a payment OR maintenance AND with an engine missing.   

NO MORE HATE RALLIES.

Halifax2TheMax

“If you look at what they did?” Whaaaaaaat?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPYMMWPHm0k/?utm_medium=copy_link

AllNiteThing

Halifax2TheMax said:

Who are these “many” people? Moscow Mitchy Baby, Lindsey Flimsy Flip Flop Faloozy Graham, Marj Three Names, Tom I’m A Warrior Hear Me Roar (he needs to get laid by the way), Kevin McCarty Horse Before the Cart, Matt Getts Off? Many people?

Embarrassed yet?

Dude, I need to say something.  First, I've been reading your posts for a LONG time, and I love 95% of your posts, and I'm totally with you on the politics.  However, all of the nicknames and self-made acronyms are excruciatingly annoying and really take away from your message.  I can for the most part translate what you're saying with all the 'Flipsy Floozy Grahamzy Whamzy' and 'Moscow Moochy Mitchy Baby' stuff, but the POOTWHQBAH, Tom (somebody?) and all the other inside jokes really just take away from your posts, not to mention I have no idea what it means and don't want to spend 20 minutes going through your post history.  I'm sure I'm not alone.  I end up having to skip past a lot of it either because I don't know who you're referring to or it just looks ridiculous and takes away from your point, which more often than not are really valid.  If you could just spend more time articulating your point and being clear and concise with regards to who you're talking about, and what you're referring to, then your posts would be better received and understood.  Maybe English isn't your dominant language, so I apologize if that's the case.  Just some honest feedback man, but keep up the good work otherwise.

HughFreakingDillon

AllNiteThing said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Who are these “many” people? Moscow Mitchy Baby, Lindsey Flimsy Flip Flop Faloozy Graham, Marj Three Names, Tom I’m A Warrior Hear Me Roar (he needs to get laid by the way), Kevin McCarty Horse Before the Cart, Matt Getts Off? Many people?

Embarrassed yet?

Dude, I need to say something.  First, I've been reading your posts for a LONG time, and I love 95% of your posts, and I'm totally with you on the politics.  However, all of the nicknames and self-made acronyms are excruciatingly annoying and really take away from your message.  I can for the most part translate what you're saying with all the 'Flipsy Floozy Grahamzy Whamzy' and 'Moscow Moochy Mitchy Baby' stuff, but the POOTWHQBAH, Tom (somebody?) and all the other inside jokes really just take away from your posts, not to mention I have no idea what it means and don't want to spend 20 minutes going through your post history.  I'm sure I'm not alone.  I end up having to skip past a lot of it either because I don't know who you're referring to or it just looks ridiculous and takes away from your point, which more often than not are really valid.  If you could just spend more time articulating your point and being clear and concise with regards to who you're talking about, and what you're referring to, then your posts would be better received and understood.  Maybe English isn't your dominant language, so I apologize if that's the case.  Just some honest feedback man, but keep up the good work otherwise.

this is not the fist post of its kind, and it surely shall not be the last. LOL

mrussel1

H2M would not be to the max without the crazy ass nicknames.

oftenreading

AllNiteThing said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Who are these “many” people? Moscow Mitchy Baby, Lindsey Flimsy Flip Flop Faloozy Graham, Marj Three Names, Tom I’m A Warrior Hear Me Roar (he needs to get laid by the way), Kevin McCarty Horse Before the Cart, Matt Getts Off? Many people?

Embarrassed yet?

Dude, I need to say something.  First, I've been reading your posts for a LONG time, and I love 95% of your posts, and I'm totally with you on the politics.  However, all of the nicknames and self-made acronyms are excruciatingly annoying and really take away from your message.  I can for the most part translate what you're saying with all the 'Flipsy Floozy Grahamzy Whamzy' and 'Moscow Moochy Mitchy Baby' stuff, but the POOTWHQBAH, Tom (somebody?) and all the other inside jokes really just take away from your posts, not to mention I have no idea what it means and don't want to spend 20 minutes going through your post history.  I'm sure I'm not alone.  I end up having to skip past a lot of it either because I don't know who you're referring to or it just looks ridiculous and takes away from your point, which more often than not are really valid.  If you could just spend more time articulating your point and being clear and concise with regards to who you're talking about, and what you're referring to, then your posts would be better received and understood.  Maybe English isn't your dominant language, so I apologize if that's the case.  Just some honest feedback man, but keep up the good work otherwise.

But then it wouldn’t be any fun  

mickeyrat

Poncier

AllNiteThing said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Who are these “many” people? Moscow Mitchy Baby, Lindsey Flimsy Flip Flop Faloozy Graham, Marj Three Names, Tom I’m A Warrior Hear Me Roar (he needs to get laid by the way), Kevin McCarty Horse Before the Cart, Matt Getts Off? Many people?

Embarrassed yet?

 'Flipsy Floozy Grahamzy Whamzy'  

Yep.
A clever nickname would be fine, Like our newest SC justice Amy Corona Barrett (after her super spreader introduction presser).
But these long rambling ones are no bueno.
Brevity is the soul of wit.

mickeyrat

Poncier said:

AllNiteThing said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Who are these “many” people? Moscow Mitchy Baby, Lindsey Flimsy Flip Flop Faloozy Graham, Marj Three Names, Tom I’m A Warrior Hear Me Roar (he needs to get laid by the way), Kevin McCarty Horse Before the Cart, Matt Getts Off? Many people?

Embarrassed yet?

 'Flipsy Floozy Grahamzy Whamzy'  

Yep.
A clever nickname would be fine, Like our newest SC justice Amy Corona Barrett (after her super spreader introduction presser).
But these long rambling ones are no bueno.
Brevity is the soul of wit.

doubling down and amplified coming right up......

Halifax2TheMax

Kancel Kulture Kant Kancel H2TM. PM me if you need an H2TM theesaurus. Or is it dickanary?

Pssssss: Proper names and titles are for those worthy of respect for surely ‘speck is earned and not given, yes?

HughFreakingDillon

that's fine, just be aware there's people here that aren't here as much as you and I, and have no idea what you're talking about. maybe put a legend in your signature. 

F Me In The Brain

I think it is funny, although I don't always remember all of the nicknames.
Calling all of these people Asshole, Fool, Crook, or Criminal is pretty boring.

Halifax2TheMax

HughFreakingDillon said:

that's fine, just be aware there's people here that aren't here as much as you and I, and have no idea what you're talking about. maybe put a legend in your signature. 

Word. I could post a thread as references and give credit where it’s due. Given2fly gave me Deathsantis which is awesome.

Getting back to business, you really have to scratch your head and give your balls a tug and wonder what the hell Moscow Mitchy Baby is thinking by personally asking for a personal favor to vote no on an insurrection commission. Putin on the ritz, POOTWH and/or roger dodger stoned has to have some good goods on his wrinkly white ass. Like PTAPE PLUS.

F Me In The Brain

. 

Poncier

Halifax2TheMax said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

that's fine, just be aware there's people here that aren't here as much as you and I, and have no idea what you're talking about. maybe put a legend in your signature. 

  Deathsantis  

See, now that's a clever nickname, and doesn't take 15 minutes to read, and everyone will know who its referring to.
The long Lindsay" Flippy Floppy Floozy In The Closet Up Trump's Ass Still In The Closet" Graham ones get exhausting to read, but Deathsantis and similar flow .
Just a little constructive criticism (or would that be Konstructive Kriticism in H2TM-speak?)

F Me In The Brain

You say potato, I say Wierd Earth Growing Brown Spud Thingy Dingy

Poncier

F Me In The Brain said:

You say potato, I say Wierd Earth Growing Brown Spud Thingy Dingy

And what's with all those eyes?

mickeyrat

Poncier said:

F Me In The Brain said:

You say potato, I say Wierd Earth Growing Brown Spud Thingy Dingy

And what's with all those eyes?

deep state.