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| Democrats question state department dealings with Ukraine and Giuliani | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Secretary of state Mike Pompeo has insisted that the state department had behaved appropriately in its dealings with the Ukrainian government and Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. | |
| Two US diplomats are mentioned in the whistleblower report on Trump’s relations with Kyiv which was released on Thursday: the part time special envoy, Kurt Volker, and the ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland. According to the report they traveled to Ukraine the day after the critical Trump-Zelenskiy call to meet the Ukrainian president. | Two US diplomats are mentioned in the whistleblower report on Trump’s relations with Kyiv which was released on Thursday: the part time special envoy, Kurt Volker, and the ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland. According to the report they traveled to Ukraine the day after the critical Trump-Zelenskiy call to meet the Ukrainian president. |
| Trump-Ukraine whistleblower complaint: read it in full | Trump-Ukraine whistleblower complaint: read it in full |
| The whistleblower report said that the two diplomats had “provided advice to the Ukrainian leadership about how to ‘navigate’ the demands that the president had made of Mr Zelenskiy”. | The whistleblower report said that the two diplomats had “provided advice to the Ukrainian leadership about how to ‘navigate’ the demands that the president had made of Mr Zelenskiy”. |
| The report also said they also gave advice on how to “understand and respond to the differing messages they were receiving from official US channels on the one hand, and from Mr Giuliani on the other”. | The report also said they also gave advice on how to “understand and respond to the differing messages they were receiving from official US channels on the one hand, and from Mr Giuliani on the other”. |
| State department officials have confirmed that Volker helped Zelenskiy’s office get in touch with Giuliani. | State department officials have confirmed that Volker helped Zelenskiy’s office get in touch with Giuliani. |
| Questioned about the involvement of state department officials in connecting the Kyiv government with Giuliani, Pompeo sought to play down the importance of the whistleblower report. | Questioned about the involvement of state department officials in connecting the Kyiv government with Giuliani, Pompeo sought to play down the importance of the whistleblower report. |
| “I haven’t had a chance to actually read the whistleblower complaint yet. I read the first couple of paragraphs, but I got busy today,” Pompeo told reporters in New York where he is attending the UN general asssembly. | “I haven’t had a chance to actually read the whistleblower complaint yet. I read the first couple of paragraphs, but I got busy today,” Pompeo told reporters in New York where he is attending the UN general asssembly. |
| “But I’ll ultimately get a chance to see it. If I understand it right it was someone who has secondhand knowledge,” the secretary of state said. | “But I’ll ultimately get a chance to see it. If I understand it right it was someone who has secondhand knowledge,” the secretary of state said. |
| “But what I’ll say this morning about the engagement of the state department is: to the best of my knowledge, and from what I’ve seen so far, each of the actions that were undertaken by state department officials is entirely appropriate and consistent with the objective that we had.” | “But what I’ll say this morning about the engagement of the state department is: to the best of my knowledge, and from what I’ve seen so far, each of the actions that were undertaken by state department officials is entirely appropriate and consistent with the objective that we had.” |
| The secretary of state added: “Certainly, since we have come into office, we’re trying to use this opportunity to create a better relationship between the United States and Ukraine, to build on opportunities to tighten our relationship and to help end corruption in Ukraine.” | The secretary of state added: “Certainly, since we have come into office, we’re trying to use this opportunity to create a better relationship between the United States and Ukraine, to build on opportunities to tighten our relationship and to help end corruption in Ukraine.” |
| The top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, Bob Menendez, said Pompeo’s responses had been inadequate and called for him to appear before the committee. | The top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, Bob Menendez, said Pompeo’s responses had been inadequate and called for him to appear before the committee. |
| Menendez said in a tweet that the whistleblower report “shows senior state department officials were both on the line AND briefed after Trump’s call pressuring Ukraine’s government. | Menendez said in a tweet that the whistleblower report “shows senior state department officials were both on the line AND briefed after Trump’s call pressuring Ukraine’s government. |
| “[Secretary Pompeo] must appear before the Senate foreign relations committee immediately to explain his agency’s role in this mess.” | “[Secretary Pompeo] must appear before the Senate foreign relations committee immediately to explain his agency’s role in this mess.” |
| Pompeo cut short questions at his press conference and was not asked about his own role in adding credence to Trump’s allegations about the Biden family and for cutting short the posting of the former US ambassador to Kyiv, Maria Yovanovitch, in May after she was attacked by rightwing media for being anti-Trump. | Pompeo cut short questions at his press conference and was not asked about his own role in adding credence to Trump’s allegations about the Biden family and for cutting short the posting of the former US ambassador to Kyiv, Maria Yovanovitch, in May after she was attacked by rightwing media for being anti-Trump. |
| “Yovanovitch was slimed,” said Daniel Fried, former secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. “The way she was treated was disgraceful. I have known her for 25 years and she is careful, scrupulous, and professional. She is someone who does not freelance. She is a straight arrow.” | “Yovanovitch was slimed,” said Daniel Fried, former secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. “The way she was treated was disgraceful. I have known her for 25 years and she is careful, scrupulous, and professional. She is someone who does not freelance. She is a straight arrow.” |
| Fried, now at the Atlantic Council said that aides to former president Petro Poroshenko, had denounced Yovanovitch to their allies in the conservative US press, because she had been highly critical of the failure to prosecute corruption aggressively. | Fried, now at the Atlantic Council said that aides to former president Petro Poroshenko, had denounced Yovanovitch to their allies in the conservative US press, because she had been highly critical of the failure to prosecute corruption aggressively. |
| Another former official with knowledge of current Washington-Kyiv relations said: “Masha [Yovanovitch] was suspect because she was very critical of the lack of anti-corruption prosecutions. And I think she stiff-armed Giuliani, and wouldn’t help him. Being a professional, she didn’t want to play political games.” | Another former official with knowledge of current Washington-Kyiv relations said: “Masha [Yovanovitch] was suspect because she was very critical of the lack of anti-corruption prosecutions. And I think she stiff-armed Giuliani, and wouldn’t help him. Being a professional, she didn’t want to play political games.” |
| Fried said that he had sympathy for Volker and Sondland, who had been put in a difficult situation, under pressure from Trump to connect Zelenskiy with Giuliani to dig up compromising material on Biden and his son Hunter. | Fried said that he had sympathy for Volker and Sondland, who had been put in a difficult situation, under pressure from Trump to connect Zelenskiy with Giuliani to dig up compromising material on Biden and his son Hunter. |
| Whistleblower report reveals how far Trump’s ethical rot has spread | Whistleblower report reveals how far Trump’s ethical rot has spread |
| “The state department people mentioned come off well. They tried to contain the damage. In their place I might have done the same,” he said. “They were trying to help Ukraine maintain good relations with the US while doing what they could to satisfy Trump, without crossing any lines.” | “The state department people mentioned come off well. They tried to contain the damage. In their place I might have done the same,” he said. “They were trying to help Ukraine maintain good relations with the US while doing what they could to satisfy Trump, without crossing any lines.” |
| Another former colleague of Volker’s was less charitable. | Another former colleague of Volker’s was less charitable. |
| “I think Kurt is trying to have his cake and eat it,” the former official said. Volker’s role as envoy is unpaid and part time, and he has kept his job as director of the McCain Institute for International leadership at Arizona University, and according to MSNBC news on Thursday, had at the same time worked for a lobbying firm with international clients. “He is getting drawn into corrupt efforts that are incompatible with his diplomatic role. He should consider resigning.” | “I think Kurt is trying to have his cake and eat it,” the former official said. Volker’s role as envoy is unpaid and part time, and he has kept his job as director of the McCain Institute for International leadership at Arizona University, and according to MSNBC news on Thursday, had at the same time worked for a lobbying firm with international clients. “He is getting drawn into corrupt efforts that are incompatible with his diplomatic role. He should consider resigning.” |
| The state department and the McCain Institute had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. | The state department and the McCain Institute had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. |
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