(United States Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland pictured in his official photo. Photo: U.S. Department of State)

BY GORDON R. FRIEDMAN | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Gordon Sondland, a hotel magnate with long ties to Portland, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to the European Union.

President Trump nominated Sondland, 61, after he gave Trump's inauguration committee $1 million – in line with presidents' long history of lavishing big donors with diplomatic postings. Sondland gave the money through companies he controls that do not directly bear his name.

Trump this week called into question the value of the NATO military alliance and, by extension, asserted that EU nations have mooched off American support of the alliance and have not paid their fair share.

Now that he’s confirmed as America’s envoy to Brussels, Sondland is tasked with managing the nation’s increasingly tense relationship with the EU. In testimony to the Senate, Sondland said he would draw on his business acumen to get the job done.

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(President Trump, left, waves as he walks to his vehicle with Melania Trump, right, during their arrival on Air Force One in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday. With them is Gordon D. Sondland, center, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Sondland made a name in business as owner of Provenance Hotels, which owns hotels throughout Portland and Seattle, and as founder of a bank. In the early 2000s, he made a foray into politics as an adviser to Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski and later served as a regional finance chairman for the Republican Party’s fundraising arm.

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, backed Sondand’s nomination and referenced their long friendship borne from Portland’s tight-knit Jewish community as testament to his character. Sondland has donated at least $13,850 to Wyden’s re-election efforts, campaign finance records show.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

GFriedman@Oregonian.com

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