Top envoys to Ukraine drafted statement that would have committed Ukraine to pursuing investigations

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Top envoys to Ukraine drafted statement that would have committed Ukraine to pursuing investigations
by Zachary Halaschak
 | October 03, 2019 08:22 PM



Following the July call at the center of a whistleblower complaint against President Trump, two top U.S. diplomats drafted a statement to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that would have committed the country to looking into Trump’s political rivals.

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and former State Department envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker drafted the document, according to the New York Times. The statement would have committed the Ukrainian government to look into allegations that Ukrainians interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign. It would have also called on the country to investigate Burisma Holdings, the energy company where Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, sat on the board.

The top aide to Zelensky knew of the statement, as did Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who said Thursday that he was aware of it but that it was not drafted at his urging. He confirmed the statement included a commitment to investigate the 2016 election and the energy company in question.

Volker gave a marathon testimony before Congress on Thursday, where he handed over encrypted text messages from September among him, Sondland, and Chargé d’Affaires William Taylor. In the texts, Taylor expressed concern about U.S. foreign affairs in Ukraine, writing, “It's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland responded to Taylor, calling the accusation “incorrect,” adding, “The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo's of any kind. The President is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensky promised during his campaign.”

Sondland added, “I suggest we stop the back and forth by text.”

Trump is in the midst of a congressional impeachment inquiry sparked by a whistleblower who alleged that Trump improperly pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate political rival Joe Biden. The July 25 phone call between Trump and Velensky is at the center of the complaint, and a rough transcript of that call was released to the public last week.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/top-envoys-to-ukraine-drafted-statement-that-would-have-committed-ukraine-to-pursuing-investigations

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