'The Price Of Loyalty': Trump's Ally Sondland Is In Big Trouble

By Frances Langum — November 13, 2019

Ooh Gordon you in trouble.

On this morning's MSNBC panel, Neal Katyal pointed out that "some things are going to happen" to Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who until now has been a staunch Trump ally. Don't forget that Sondland (Trump's Ambassador to the EU) donated a million bucks to Trump's inaugural committee.

And today we find out he took a call with Trump in a restaurant. The call was about the Ukraine situation, and people at the restaurant table were able to hear it was Trump and some of the content of the call. (If this was Sondland's personal phone you can bet the Russians heard it, too.)

The whole passage. That Sondland took this call w/ Trump in a restaurant, was overheard, and then talked about it to a staff member...wow. pic.twitter.com/SCQmpgU8t1

— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) November 13, 2019

NEAL KATYAL: Now we see the price of loyalty, because of what's going to happen to Ambassador Sondland.

NICOLLE WALLACE: What's going to happen to him?

KATYAL: Criminal investigations, as Chuck and I know, you build by taking these depositions, getting their testimony. Now Sondland has already had to come back once and say, oh, I forgot some stuff, here it is. Now he's going to have to come back and say, oh, I forgot about that call I had with the President of The United States on my cellphone.

BRIAN WILLIAMS: From a restaurant.

KATYAL: From a restaurant, which is pretty hard to forget. So now we've got a situation in which Sondland may have to flip, effectively, in order to save his hide.

The @Gop wants to make the “no corrupt intent” defense.
Taylor and Kent are testifying that Sondland’s and @realDonaldTrump’s actions make that defense laughable. https://t.co/R57s78oJyV

— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) November 13, 2019

William Taylor's revelation about the call from Sondland is not the first time we've heard about Trump taking calls to get up-to-the-minute updates on the progress of his Ukraine Biden project: https://t.co/2HyRApCgUt

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) November 13, 2019

Sondland’s next round of unperjuring himself might just happen on live TV, and since they did it on their cell phones, there will be a record of this call.

— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) November 13, 2019

Ambassador Sondland lied to Congress. He hid from them a cell phone call with the president of the United States.

The President's top European diplomat is going to jail—that's a given.

That's the cost of loyalty to Trump.

The question is: will he now flip on the President? https://t.co/RTwUgMCQfE

— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) November 13, 2019

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