EU ambassador Sondland described as ‘potential national security risk’ by ex-Trump official: report

Gordon Sondland, the man whom President Donald Trump appointed to be ambassador to the European Union, was described this week as a "potential national security risk" by a former top White House adviser, according to the New York Times.

According to the Times, former National Security Counsel official Fiona Hill said that Sondland posed a risk to American security because he was shockingly unqualified for the job he was given.

"[Hill] described Mr. Sondland, a hotelier and Trump donor-turned-ambassador, as metaphorically driving in an unfamiliar place with no guardrails and no GPS," the Times reports.

Sondland is at the center of House Democrats' impeachment probe into Trump's efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government to launch an investigation into his political opponents.

In explosive text messages released last week, former Ukrainian special envoy Kurt Volker suggested to Sondland that the Ukrainian government needed to agree to assist the president’s investigations in order to secure a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In one particularly damning text message exchange, veteran diplomat Bill Taylor told Sondland that it was “crazy” to tie Ukrainian military assistance to the country helping the president’s electoral prospects. Sondland then sent back a text message denying any quid pro quo — and then urging Taylor to take the discussion offline.