Read Acting Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor's Full Opening Statement to Congressional Investigator
In Bill Taylor’s opening statement to lawmakers, obtained by TIME, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine says that he was told that President Donald Trump would withhold military aid from the country until it publicly announced investigations that would benefit him politically.
Testifying behind closed doors, acting Ambassador Taylor told Congress that he was alarmed that the Trump administration would leverage security aid in exchange for investigations into Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as well as the 2016 election, which he called “weird” and “crazy.”
Read the full statement here:
Opening Statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor – October 22, 2019
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to appear today to provide my
perspective on the events that are the subject of the Committees’ inquiry. My sole
purpose is to provide the Committees with my views about the strategic
importance of Ukraine to the United States as well as additional information about
the incidents in question.
I have dedicated my life to serving U.S. interests at home and abroad in both
military and civilian roles. My background and experience are nonpartisan and I
have been honored to serve under every administration, Republican and
Democratic, since 1985.
For 50 years, I have served the country, starting as a cadet at West Point, then as an
infantry officer for six years, including with the 101′ Airborne Division in
Vietnam; then at the Department of Energy; then as a member of a Senate staff;
then at NATO; then with the State Department here and abroad in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Jerusalem, and Ukraine; and more recently, as Executive Vice President of
the nonpartisan United States Institute of Peace.
While I have served in many places and in different capacities, I have a particular
interest in and respect for the importance of our country’s relationship with
Ukraine. Our national security demands that this relationship remain strong.
However, in August and September of this year, I became increasingly concerned
that our relationship with Ukraine was being fundamentally undermined by an
irregular, informal channel of U.S. policy-making and by the withholding of vital
security assistance for domestic political reasons. I hope my remarks today will
help the Committees understand why I believed that to be the case.
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