U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland is facing criticism for overseeing a taxpayer-funded $1 million renovation to his government residence.
Sondland, 62, is a key figure in the Democrat-run impeachment inquiry into President Trump and is testifying to Congress on Thursday. The work on Sondland’s residence includes more than $400,000 in kitchen renovations, $33,000 for handmade Italian furniture, and $30,000 for a new sound system.
In addition, $95,000 will go toward an outdoor “living pod” with electric heating, LED light strips, and a remote-controlled system. While the home is being renovated, the State Department set aside more than $100,000 for an “alternate” residence to house Sondland during September and October.
Sondland “got addicted” to the trappings of his office, according to an official that spoke to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity. “The way you’re treated as a senior U.S. official, there’s nothing like it in terms of adrenaline and ego boost.” Some of Sondland’s colleagues reportedly said he grew dissappointed with his accommodations in Brussels, and quickly began proposing renovations.
The State Department said the renovations are part of a “regular 17-year cycle of reviewing and refreshing furnishings and interior décor in representational residences.”
The refurbishment was funded in April after Sondland, a major fundraiser for Trump, was confirmed to the post.
Sondland is expected to tell investigators on Thursday that the Sept. 9 text message denying a quid pro quo that he sent to the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, William Taylor, was relayed to him from Trump.
[Read more: Gordon Sondland claims he was unaware of Rudy Giuliani’s widely publicized Ukraine-Biden efforts]
