The Impeachment Hearings: What the Envoys Said

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/opinion/letters/hearings-impeachment-trump.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Envoys Reveal Scope of Trump Ukraine Push” (front page, Nov. 14):

The testimonies of William B. Taylor Jr., the top United States diplomat in Ukraine, and George P. Kent, the State Department’s top official on Ukraine policy, in the impeachment hearings of Donald Trump were sobering, credible and revelatory.

President Trump’s self-serving political machinations undermined the foreign policy of the United States. That policy, in essence, said to Ukraine, “We stand with you in defense of your freedom and democracy and against Russian aggression, now and always.” It is policy that is vital not only to the national security of Ukraine but to ours and to that of all liberal democracies as well.

And weakening that policy is a gift to Vladimir V. Putin in his quest to overcome the humiliation of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

President Trump withheld congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine as Ukrainian soldiers were dying on the battlefield. He wanted to coerce the newly elected president of Ukraine to publicly announce an investigation into the 2016 election and the Bidens, as former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. launched his 2020 campaign to defeat Mr. Trump.

Leveraging military aid in exchange for foreign interference in an election is casebook extortion. It is unpatriotic; it is indefensible; and it is wrong. It clearly demonstrated that Donald Trump placed his personal and political interests above those of the country.

And if that does not constitute an impeachable offense, nothing will.

Felicia MassarskyAtlantic City

To the Editor:

I’ve been in the cross hairs of a powerful bully more than once in my life. Watching Republicans “questioning” George P. Kent and William B. Taylor Jr. left me feeling just as I did when those past bullies were bearing down on me. It was their signature dominance display — that used by any powerful bully intent on abusing his or her power.

This country’s task is not only to rid the presidency of Donald Trump; it is also to vote these Republicans out of office. The party is beyond redemption.

Patty QuinnPhiladelphia

To the Editor:

Donald Trump’s interactions with Ukraine, and his defense, clearly fit a well-practiced format. He latches onto already discredited charges against the target of his wrath, and then breathes new life into the flimsy charges using the power of the bully pulpit.

Actually uncovering evidence of wrongdoing doesn’t seem to be important; fueling innuendo by getting others to publicly announce an “investigation” of some sort seems to be what he’s after.

I’ll give President Trump credit for being a genius at the art of the smear, as well as a world-class huckster who lives a life of quid pro quo.

Brian BennettLa Verne, Calif.

To the Editor:

Re “A Return of Old Washington in Defiance of a Raucous Era” (front page, Nov. 14):

Staid, credible and sympathetic, George P. Kent and William B. Taylor Jr. give hope to the half of America that has felt involuntarily expatriated since January 2017. In a just world, they would give hope to both halves of America.

To be in the presence once more of literate, patriotic, emotionally mature professionals was a badly needed balm. If Mr. Kent and Ambassador Taylor are representative of the so-called deep state, this country may yet survive the assault on its values laid out in painful detail.

I rejoice that citizens like them eschew glitzier, more remunerative employment to serve the country, and I long for the day when someone of their ilk again sits behind the Oval Office desk. May these proceedings hasten that day.

David D. TurnerNew York

To the Editor:

In the first day of the public impeachment hearings, the opening statement by Devin Nunes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, was so vitriolic, cynical and insulting that I almost turned off the TV.

His closing “welcome” to the two witnesses, whom he congratulated for what he called passing their “star chamber audition” held in the basement by the Democrats, was in more than poor taste. It was an insult to the committee, the Constitution and, of course, the witnesses, who did not audition for a part but rather were subpoenaed by Congress for their testimony. Witnesses who, by the way, had better things to do than to take the bait.

Republicans and those who support their flimsy defense of the president should be ashamed. If President Trump can be defended, surely they can make a more civil, reasoned argument.

Dee BaerWilmington, Del.