Sondland's Ties to Romanian Official Set Off Alarms at National Security Council

[MelissaB]

Last edited Wed Nov 27, 2019, 10:15 PM - Edit history (1)

Sondland’s Ties to Romanian Official Set Off Alarms at National Security Council
NOT JUST UKRAINE

Sources say the ambassador grew increasingly close to a Romanian politician with a worrisome record on corruption.

Even before Gordon Sondland’s work in Ukraine set off alarm bells, senior U.S. officials were raising concerns about his communications with officials from Romania—including his efforts to get White House access for a politician with a history of pushing back against anti-corruption reforms.

That’s according to two individuals with knowledge of the situation who say that Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union who is now a major figure in the House impeachment inquiry, often hosted meetings with Romanian officials without consulting the National Security Council. His increasingly close relationship with one of those officials, former deputy prime minister Ana Birchall, generated significant concerns within the NSC, according to those same sources.

Birchall graduated from Yale Law School and has long had ties to the U.S. Her husband, Martyn Birchall, is an investment banker whose held positions at international financial firms in New York, London and Hong Kong. In Romania, Birchall has a history of opposing anti-corruption measures in her country and for years supported Liviu Dragnea, a Romanian politician who was recently convicted of corruption, according to two senior U.S. officials. Dragnea served as the head of Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD)—a party known to publicly fight back against western pressure for corruption crackdowns—before being indicted for procuring fake jobs at a child protection agency for two members of his party. He was also barred from becoming prime minister because of a 2016 conviction of vote-rigging.

Sondland attempted to help Birchall clinch a meeting and a photo opportunity with then-National Security Advisor John Bolton this past winter, but then Birchall showed up at the White House for it without a scheduled meeting, according to three individuals with knowledge of the encounter. One of the sources told The Daily Beast that Sondland had assured Birchall a meeting at the NSC was set up—and that the State Department arranged an official meeting for Birchall in February after her first failed attempt.

More: https://www.thedailybeast.com/sondlands-ties-to-romanian-official-ana-birchall-set-off-alarms-at-national-security-council?via=twitter_page

Link to tweet

[MelissaB]

1. snip

But Birchall’s sudden change of heart didn’t worry all U.S. officials. During her switch from deputy prime minister to justice minister, Sondland championed Birchall’s work in Romania and hosted her for several high-level meetings with U.S. officials. She is pictured alongside Sondland and other senior U.S. officials in Europe, including in Ukraine. She attended Sondland’s infamous July 4 celebration in Brussels where Jay Leno performed, as well as April sit-down dinner in the city with senior Trump administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. She’s also pictured in Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s inauguration, which Sondland and Perry also attended.

Birchall met with Attorney General Bill Barr in June in Bucharest following her appointment as justice minister. “We hope that, with her leadership, and that of other Romanian officials, Romania will reverse recent amendments that threaten to undermine the ability to fight corruption, and we are confident that Romania will take steps to ensure an efficient, transparent and impartial judiciary,” Barr said during his visit.

... snip

Barr later invited Birchall to Washington to continue the conversation about justice and corruption reform during attempts by her party to oust her from her position in the Ministry of Justice. Barr went to bat for Birchall, calling her a “vital and trusted partner in the fight against corruption.”

[MelissaB]

2. Fiona Hill raised this issue in her closed door testimony. The country's name was blocked out.

Fiona Hill raised this issue in her closed door testimony. The country’s name was blocked out. But people familiar with the transcript said she was speaking about Romania.

Link to tweet

[moondust]

3. Let's see...

Who would have an interest and be inclined to follow those former SSRs closely enough to know who among them to contact? Somebody trying to rebuild his old empire perhaps?

[blogslut]

4. kick

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. kick for the tangled web

Is TrumPutin trying to help reassemble the old Soviet Union for his daddy Vladdy?

[NCLefty]

6. They were concerned about corruption, primarily with making sure they were involved in all of it.