Sondland Spoke to Trump Before Responding to Text

A person with knowledge of the situation confirms to NBC News that Ambassador Gordon Sondland spoke by phone with President Trump on September 9 before responding to acting Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor’s text about it being “crazy” to link Ukraine assistance to help with a political campaign.

U.S. officials and others with knowledge of their relationship also say that Sondland is part of a small cadre of ambassadors who enjoy direct and frequent access to Trump. They say the two speak frequently by phone and have spoken extensively about Ukraine in the past.

Also: “Kurt Volker, Sondland and Taylor used WhatsApp in addition to regular text messages to communicate about Ukraine… The use of WhatsApp has raised questions about problems it poses for complying with federal record-keeping requirements.”