Gordon Sondland accused of sexual misconduct by 3 women

Three women — Nicole Vogel, Jana Solis, and Natalie Sept — have accused U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a key witness in President Trump's ongoing impeachment inquiry, of sexual misconduct, ProPublica and Portland Monthly report.

ProPublica and Portland Monthly began reporting the story in October right around when Sondland first testified in the impeachment inquiry. The next day, Nicole Vogel (who owns Portland Monthly but was not involved in the story's editorial process, though she cooperated as a source) addressed her allegations while speaking at a luncheon in Seattle. Vogel said when she met the hotelier-turned-ambassador 16 years ago, Sondland seemed enthusiastic about investing in the magazine. But after she rejected a kiss from him while on a tour of one his hotels, she said he decided not to invest.

Solis, a former associate of Sondland, said the businessman exposed himself to her during a work interaction in 2008 and that she also had to escape another meeting when he again made advances. After that, Solis said, he screamed at her over the phone about her job performance.

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Sept, who is 27 years younger than Sondland, said the ambassador was willing to help her land a job in 2010. But he then allegedly tried to kiss her following a meeting and she pushed him aside before leaving in her car. She said she never heard from him about the job again.

Sondland and his lawyer have both denied all three allegations. Read more at ProPublica.