The longtime Republican donor got what he wanted after donating $1 million to Trump’s 2016 campaign, and was named the U.S. ambassador to the European Union — but he may be forced to testify against the president to save his marriage and his business, reported the Washington Post .
Current and former U.S. officials say Sondland, who once said Trump offended his — “personal beliefs and values on so many levels” — hoped that he might take over for Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross if he helped Trump get damaging information against Joe Biden from Ukraine.
“He spent a year trying to prove that he wasn’t anti-Trump,” said a former White House official. “He got into the position [of ambassador], and he had an opportunity to prove it. Trump knew that he wanted to prove his loyalty.”
But now he faces another loyalty test — from his wife of 26 years.
Sondland’s wife Katherine Durant, a real estate investor and registered Democrat, fears her husband’s ties to Trump and the Ukraine scandal will hurt the hotel company he built.
Durant has criticized media coverage of her husband, saying he deserves a chance to clear his name.
“We live in a world right now where there’s no upside to supporting someone like Gordon who is working for Trump,” Durant said. “It’s a mob.”
“He’s been extremely hard-working,” she added. “He came from immigrant parents, he’s first generation here, he made his own wealth, he’s worked his entire life hard, he’s extremely generous. I mean, he’ll sit down and listen to anyone, take his time, go to bat for them, give his money. But this environment is so sad and vicious that there is no one who will stick up for him. I find it really pathetic.”
Here is my take, lady. Stick with being fabulously filthy rich and a nice guy. Don’t think because you made a bunch of money that you deserver to call the shots for other people’s lives or run our government. And certainly don’t hook your railcar to the Chump train. You can’t be too smart or have much judgement if you did, and your only chance now is to come completely clean and you might even get a little “hero” cache out of it.
ETA: I think the irony of her use of “mob” has escaped her. She thinks the people coming after her husband is a mob, but he hooked his train TO the Mob.
