Jocular and unflappable, Sondland makes splash as star witness in impeachment inquiry

WASHINGTON – Gordon Sondland, the ambassador who delivered bombshell testimony Wednesday in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, was grilled on Capitol Hill about his memory by Republican counsel Steve Castor, who sought to paint him as an unreliable witness.

Castor waved a two-page list of instances in which Sondland, during prior closed-door testimony, had trouble recalling phone calls, meetings and other details.

“You don’t have records. You don't have your notes because you didn't take notes. You don’t have a lot of recollections,” Castor said.

If the ambassador was at all rattled by the comments, he didn't show it.

“Is that all?" Sondland asked the GOP lawyer, before letting out a laugh and adding that it's "situational things" that trigger his memory.

Takeaways from Sondland's testimony: 'Rudy was the guy' driving Trump's Ukraine aims

The U.S. ambassador to the European Union exuded self-assurance as he parried with lawmakers during his six-hour testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

Sondland has emerged as the star witness in the House impeachment inquiry, testifying that Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani sought a "quid pro quo" in which the administration would release military aid for Ukraine if its top officials announced an investigation into the president's political rival, Joe Biden.

It's an unlikely role for a Republican donor-turned-ambassador who was known for flaunting his access to Trump.

But Sondland, who had a first-hand view of top-level discussions on Ukraine, provided damaging testimony to the president in his description of a pressure campaign on Kyiv that he said Giuliani pursued at Trump's direction.

Sondland's demeanor differed starkly from that of the seven witnesses whose testimony preceded his. Other witnesses – including Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine and Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine – spoke in measured tones, in keeping with their decades of experience as civil servants. Several mentioned the exhaustive records they maintained. Taylor, for example, told lawmakers he always carries a small notebook to record important conversations.

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New to diplomacy, Sondland, 62, is a wealthy businessman who founded Provenance, a chain of boutique hotels based in Portland, Oregon, in 1985. He was confirmed to his role as ambassador to the European Union last year. Trump handed Ukraine to him as part of his portfolio even though it's not part of the EU.

'A lot' to juggle

As TV cameras rolled, Sondland glided into the hearing room and shared a laugh with his lawyer after taking his seat at the witness table.

He gave punchy answers. He focused on the big picture. He conceded recollection of details was not his strong suit. And he joked about that.

In response to the grilling from Castor, Sondland said he couldn't remember all the conversations he had with world leaders – even some with Trump – since there were so many to recall.

"There's a lot of stuff to juggle," the ambassador said, as he ticked off the list of countries in his portfolio. "A phone call for me with the president of the United States or the president of fill-in-the-blank country, while people who get a call like that maybe once in a lifetime, a call like that might be very memorable. They might remember everything about it. I'm doing it all day long."

Sondland has donated to other Republicans, including President George W. Bush and White House candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Latest news: How to stay updated on USA TODAY's impeachment coverage

During the 2016 campaign, Sondland criticized Trump for disparaging Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who spoke at the Democratic convention. Sondland pivoted after Trump's win, donating $1 million to the president-elect's inauguration.

Sondland embraces the jet-setting lifestyle of a diplomat and all the trappings that come with it.

He's hosted lavish parties at his official residence in Brussels, including a soiree in June attended by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, comedian Jay Leno and world leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"There were a lot of celebrities, guests, and it was a very sort of light-hearted evening," Sondland told lawmakers during closed-door testimony last month. "It was not a business dinner."

The ambassador raised eyebrows months after his Senate confirmation for overseeing more than half a million dollars in taxpayer-funded renovations to the Brussels residence.

Since September 2018, the State Department has approved $13,301 for a pool and Jacuzzi heating system, $33,625 on household furniture, $208,683 on a kitchen remodel and $95,109 for a pergola. A State Department spokesman told The Washington Post that the renovations were part of a "regular 17-year cycle of reviewing and refreshing furnishings and interior decor in representational residences."

Call to Trump from trendy restaurant

There are echoes of Trump in Sondland, a well-to-do business executive who, like his boss, joined government late in life and seems to enjoy rubbing elbows with the powerful. It was Sondland's July 26 phone call to Trump, made from a trendy Kyiv restaurant over a bottle of wine and overheard by those around him, that has become a key moment in the impeachment inquiry.

Sondland told lawmakers Wednesday that he doesn't remember key details of the call, but he did recall colorful language used by the president.

"He loves your a--," Sondland said of Zelensky during that conversation, according to a State Department official who heard the call.

"Yeah, it sounds like something I would say," Sondland told lawmakers Wednesday with a chuckle. "That's how President Trump and I communicate. Lots of four-letter words ... In this case, three letters."

Despite his bombshell revelation about Trump's knowledge of the quid pro quo, Democrats were frustrated at times with what they viewed as Sondland's evasiveness.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., thanked him for being forthright, but said it took three tries to get there. Before testifying Wednesday, Sondland gave a closed-door deposition and then modified it before the transcript was released.

“We appreciate your candor,” Maloney said. “But let’s be really clear about what it took to get it out of you.”

After Sondland commanded the spotlight from the moment he entered the hearing room, even his departure carried a hint of drama.

Sondland's attorney, Robert Luksin, had to nudge committee members to cut short a planned recess so the ambassador could "fly back to Brussels to resume his duties."

"I appreciate that, counsel," Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told Luskin. "We all have a busy schedule these days."

Sondland made his flight, arriving at Dulles Airport with TV cameras shadowing him.

Contributing: Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gordon Sondland emerges as impeachment inquiry's unlikely star witness