Impeachment witness Gordon Sondland fired by Trump sues Mike Pompeo and US govt for $1.8M legal fees
Former US Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, has filed a lawsuit on May 24 against ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US government, with the demand to reimburse his $1.8 million legal fees. He claims that Pompeo failed to reimburse his fees accrued during the House investigation against former president Donald Trump. He further insisted that Pompeo has backtracked on his promise to cover his attorney fees for political convenience.
Sondland was fired by Trump in 2020, following his bombshell impeachment testimony against the former president in 2019. According to CBS News, Sondland took a 360-degree turn in his testimony while under oath, thereby implicating the 45th POTUS in the Ukraine aid probe. Trump was impeached twice by the House but he was acquitted of the charges in both cases.
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Why was Sondland fired?
During Trump's first Impeachment trial, Sondland was called upon as one of the witnesses. He initially said there was 'no quid pro quo' over Ukraine aid and the secret investigation by Trump against opponent Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. However, while testifying under oath, he revised his statement and acknowledged the quid pro quo between Ukraine and Trump administration.
He indicated in a public as well as private testimony that Trump allegedly schemed with Ukraine to conduct a secret investigation on the Bidens, in exchange for military aid. According to CBS News, Sondland further claimed that all top government officials in the Trump administration were aware of the arrangement.
Sondland was removed from his position soon afterward. "I am grateful to President Trump for having given me the opportunity to serve, to Secretary Pompeo for his consistent support, and to the exceptional and dedicated professionals at the U.S. Mission to the European Union. I am proud of our accomplishments. Our work here has been the highlight of my career," he had stated after his termination.
Why is Sondland suing Pompeo and US government?
Sondland filed a complaint with the US District Court, where he stated that during the impeachment trial, he had retained a DC law firm. Especially after the Trump aides informed that he would not be represented by either State Department attorneys or by the Justice Department. It was then that Pompeo had made a legally binding promise to reimburse his legal costs.
In his lawsuit complaint, Sondland wrote, "If Pompeo did not have the authority to bind the government, Pompeo went rogue and acted outside the course and scope of his employment and duties, making a promise in his personal capacity that was not the kind of act he was employed to perform, and not motivated by a desire to serve as the leader of the Department of State."
He further added, "Instead, it 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."