Three women accuse Sondland of sexual misconduct

Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union who has been embroiled in the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, has been accused by three women of sexual misconduct. The accusations were first reported by ProPublica and Portland Monthly on Wednesday: "In one case, a potential business partner recalls that Sondland took her to tour a room in a hotel he owns, only to then grab her face and try to kiss her. After she rejected him, Sondland backtracked on investing in her business. Another woman, a work associate at the time, says Sondland exposed himself to her during a business interaction. She also recalls falling over the back of a couch trying to get away from him. After she made her lack of interest clear, she says Sondland called her, screaming about her job performance. A third woman, 27 years Sondland's junior, met him to discuss a potential job. She says he pushed himself against her and kissed her. She shoved him away. She says his job help stopped. Sondland, in a statement, said the claims have "no basis in fact." The alleged misconduct took place before Sondland began his ambassadorship to the E.U. in 2018. Another woman, Jana Solis, a hospitality safety engineer for a New York insurance company that specializes in risk management for hotels, had a business lunch with Sondland that she said turned inappropriate. He was flirting through the lunch, and ends up just saying, 'OK, I've heard enough,'" Solis told ProPublica. "'You're hired. Congratulations. You're my new hotel chick.'" As they were leaving the restaurant, Solis claims that Sondland slapped her on the butt. Later, the two met up again after Sondland requested she visit his house to view his art collection. "Solis wasn't trained in art valuations, but she agreed to go to his home, she says, to keep the business account intact," the article said. He then directed her to meet up with him in his pool house to view another collection, and Solis said he was naked from the waist down. "He's like, 'Well, I just thought we could have some fun, but you know, it's cool.'" Solis said. Though she rebuffed his advances, she wound up meeting with Sondland again as she was conducting training sessions at a hotel: "So I'm acting very professional, and I'm going over some of the things I think he needs to deal with [as part of my inspection] and just trying to stay down that road. [He says:] 'Have a drink. Thanks for all you've done this week.'" Solis remembers sitting on the couch with him, having a glass of wine and hoping as hard as she could - praying - that it would go no further. "The next thing I know, he's all over me," she recalls. "He's on top of me. He's kissing me, shoving his tongue down my throat. And I'm trying to wiggle out from under him, and the next thing you know, I'm sort of rising up to get away from him, and I fall over the back of the couch."

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