Bill Taylor just brought down Donald Trump’s house of cards
Acting U.S. Ambassador Bill Taylor took the wheel from Gordon Sondland and threw everybody under the bus in his testimony before Congress today. Politico reported that “sighs and gasps” could be heard as Taylor read his 15-page opening statement. Reading the statement will certainly induce these sounds, if not downright anger. Unlike most Trump appointees, Taylor is an experienced ambassador. He was initially appointed by President G.W. Bush and served under President Obama. Taylor is clear that he is nonpartisan and serves the American people and no one else. It is refreshing to hear that we do still have people working in our government who do it for their love of service, though many of those were shoved out by Trump.
Taylor’s statement is very detailed and cannot be fully covered in this article, but we can certainly look at some of the highlights and know exactly where his head is and where his loyalties lie. Taylor was appalled at Rudy Giuliani’s involvement in government business, as are most of us. He wasn’t elected to anything and has no right to be involved in government business. Leave it to Trump to bring one of his lackeys into something he doesn’t belong in.
Unlike Trump, Taylor is concerned with Russia’s attempt to take over Ukraine and become a threat to not only its European neighbors, but the entire world. When he was approached by Mike Pompeo to get involved in Ukraine, he was reluctant. Taylor did not appreciate what they had done to his predecessor, Marie Yovanovitch. He consulted with his wife, who urged him not to go, before his mentor convinced him to go. He was also assured that U.S. policy supported Ukraine and that all of the negative things he had heard about Giuliani were of no consequence. Little did he know that he, like the rest of us, was being hoodwinked.
It was only after Taylor agreed and traveled to Ukraine that he discovered “two channels of U.S. policy-making and implementation, one regular and one highly irregular.” Guess who was on the irregular team? You’ve got it: Giuliani, Kurt Volker, Rick Perry, and Gordon Sondland, who tried his best to mislead Congress and did to a certain extent. Then, Taylor testified and completely blew Sondland out of the proverbial water. Sondland has certainly earned back the cool million he donated to Trump’s inauguration, while trying to cover his complicity.
Taylor’s testimony was detailed, according to Politico, clearly outlining just how much the promised military assistance was tied to Trump’s personal endeavors. Harley Rouda (D-CA) said that the “body language of the people hearing it was ‘holy shit,'” while Stephen Lynch (D-MA) said that the testimony “could accelerate” the impeachment inquiry. Bring it on, please. Taylor gave a clear timeline of events, and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) hinted that Taylor presented evidence to corroborate his account. Whatever Taylor provided and said must have been good, as Politico reported that Jim Jordan left for lunch “tight-lipped.”
Trump and company are likely very unhappy that Pompeo brought Taylor back. They should have known that a career diplomat would refuse to get involved in their bullshit, and that’s exactly what he has done. It appears that Sondland might be recalled, as Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said, “Mr. Sondland is going to have some explaining to do.” He certainly does, as does faux president Trump. Tick-tock, Trump. We’re coming for you.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years