U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who has been ensnared in the Trump-Ukraine saga, reportedly spoke about the need to boost immigration to the U.S. of skilled and wealthy Europeans and worked on a “fast track” proposal with Stephen Miller. According to The Washington Post, Sondland's rationale behind the move was to ease tensions with the E.U.—but diplomats in the mission saw it as a racially-motivated effort. A source told the newspaper that Trump asked Sondland in July 2018 to develop a “fast track” immigration proposal for the E.U. with Jared Kushner and Miller—Trump's primary immigration adviser. The source said the proposal, which would have applied to all E.U. countries, was “eventually dropped.”

Sondland, one of the “three amigos” who took part in a back-door diplomacy channel with Ukraine, will testify to Congress next week in Trump's impeachment inquiry. Sondland’s attorney, Jim McDermott, said his client had “no intention of resigning” from his role despite being caught in the scandal.