One of the U.S. Ambassadors involved in the text message scandal with the Ukraine officials was the hotelier who renovated the Villa Royale hotel in Palm Springs, he is yet another prominent political figure with connections to the Coachella Valley.

The Desert Sun newspaper was the first to report on U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s ties to the Villa Royale, Sondland is a known supporter of President Donald Trump and he was appointed as the United States Ambassador to the European Union.

Sam Metz a Politics Reporter with the local newspaper said Sondland was connected to the Villa Royale at least during the hotel’s recent renovation.

“He was the CEO and founder of Provenance Hotels,” Metz said. “Provenance Hotels was the company behind the renovation of the Villa Royale which is a mid-century modern that re-opened last year in South Palm Springs.”

Sondland now known around the nation after leaked text message exchanges with colleagues shows him denying any type of transaction to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and possibly benefit the president’s re-election.

In a text message, Sondland said quote, “The president has been crystal clear no quid pro quo’s of any kind.”

Metz said, “When we saw the name, I had an editor tell me Gordon Sondland, there’s a Palm Springs connection.”

Ambassador Sondland is hardly the first prominent figure in contemporary politics with local ties, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells have become a desert oasis for Republican operatives like the Kochs.

The annual Freedom Partners gathering in the desert sparked a clash between opposing parties in 2011.

The Coachella Valley was also one of President Barack Obama’s go-to destinations during his campaign fundraisers in Southern California.

Ambassador Sondland is likely to stay in national headlines, he is scheduled to testify to three house committees on Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador in Texts with Ukrainian Officials Has Ties to Local Hotel Renovation