Former US Ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, who testified for the Democrats against Donald Trump during the former president’s impeachment, has registered as a foreign agent on behalf of Ukraine and the European Union, the Daily Caller reports.
Sondland initially testified in Trump’s impeachment inquiry that there was no quid pro quo when President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens while withholding US military aid (unbeknownst to Zelensky at the time).
Sondland later flipped his story, claiming that he told a top Ukrainian official that a meeting with President Trump may be contingent upon its new administration committing to investigations Trump wanted regarding the Biden family and other matters, according to the New York Times.
And now, he’s a registered agent for Ukraine.
Sondland filed a registration statement with the U.S. Department of Justice, declaring himself a foreign agent of Ukraine and the E.U. in order to legally represent their interests in the country, according to a document obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Sondland’s registration is required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a 1938 law that governs how foreign governments and other entities may lobby U.S. officials. FARA registration is required regardless of U.S. citizenship and must occur before an individual begins lobbying.
See the registration below:
During his time in the Trump administration, Sondland personally dealt with various high-ranking Ukrainians, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been trying to lobby members of Congress and executive branch officials to support its war with Russia.
Sondland Responds
In a statement to the Daily Caller, Sondland said “This term ‘Foreign Agent.’ It sounds very sinister because that’s the way the FARA laws are written. You’re designated as a foreign agent. I’m not an agent of anyone. I haven’t been asked by Ukraine or the E.U. to represent them. I’m simply having conversations that everyone has all the time with members of Congress and with members of governments of other countries to try and bridge and divide,” adding “The problem is the FARA laws require this registration and you become known as a ‘foreign agent,’ and that’s very different than someone who is hired by the E.U. or hired by Ukraine and paid to do a certain job on their behalf. I am not doing either.”
“My allegiance is still 100% to the United States, not to the European Union. Unfortunately, I can’t have these conversations without registering,” he continued.
He also pushed back on the ‘flip-flop’ criticisms, telling the Caller: “I relayed facts that occurred in 2019, some of which had the effect of having a negative…showing President Trump in a negative light and some showing President Trump in a positive light, but I had no agenda to testify against or for President Trump in 2019.”
Except, that’s not quite what happened.
via zerohedge
