I am supportive of the House’s impeachment proceedings. It was the actions of the President that led to the House to initiate impeachment of President Trump. In this post, I have a few observation and words about the inquiry.

Foreign Service

I’ve had the pleasure of being in contact with foreign service officers in the Soviet Union and Russia, as well as staff at the United States Information Agency. For example, during the 1980s and 1990s, I directed the Global Thinking Project. The GTP fostered research, collaboration, student and teacher exchanges, student led environmental projects using an Internet based GTP curriculum. Georgia State University hosted the GTP. It was the result of a lot of travel to and from the Soviet Union by hundreds of people.

During this time, we met with Arthur A. Hartman, the Ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1983, and then with foreign service officers in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This was a time when tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were very high. The men and women that I met were dedicated public servants. I had nothing but respect for them.

I think we should consider this. It was the actions of the President that put foreign service officers and government workers in the spotlight. It amazes me how Trump thinks he can harass and intimidate these people. He even Tweeted in real time his displeasure with Ambassador Yovanovitch while she was testifying in the House. Now he faces the possibility of impeachment. I think he enjoys turning people into his enemies. Unfortunately for Trump, the people testifying have truthfulness on their side. Trump only has lies.

He’s made a grave mistake, in my opinion. It will lead to impeachment of President Trump.

Whistleblower

The first to alert us to the misbehavior of Trump was the Whistleblower. Whistleblowers are protected by the Whistleblower Act of 1989. I watched Trump itching to have the person’s identity revealed. If he does try and identify the whistleblower, that would be an illegal activity.

Here’s the quote from the Whistleblower’s complaint that filed in September, 2019.

In the course of my official duties, I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election. This interference includes, among other things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President’s main domestic political rivals. The President’s personal lawyer, Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, is a central figure in this effort.

The whistleblower complaint, annotated, Zachary B. Wolf and Curt Merrill, September 26, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/09/politics/whistleblower-complaint-annotated/

This brave person has been vilified by the GOP, led by Trump and his sycophants. I think they are making a mistake doing this.

Initial Impeachment Testimony

Several foreign service officers testified in the House last week. One by one, they came before us, and under cross examination, and under oath, answered tens of questions from lawyers and House members.

This is the impeachment section in the Constitution.

First we had William B. Taylor, Jr. and George Kent. I thought they both were professional and truthful in their remarks and answers to all questions. I think they stymied the lawyer hired by the GOP to grill each for 45 minutes. Mr. Taylor’s opening statement at the Impeachment hearing is a short history of Trump’s abuse of power. His opening statement is long. It’s impressive and detailed. It lays out the history of events leading up to the impeachment of President Trump.

Sondland-Trump Cafe Call

Near the end of his remarks, he inserted information about a phone call from Ambassador Sondland (EU) to Trump, from a cafe in Kiev! He didn’t know about this call when he testified in a closed hearing. He added it here:

Then, we watched Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch, former Ambassador to Ukraine. She was magnificent. She reminded me of the foreign service people I met in the Soviet Union. Although president’s can hire and fire foreign service workers without cause, they don’t have the right to attack the reputation of any individual. She was in the room for over 7 hours. She received a standing ovation when she exited the room. More about her in the next post.

The Impeachment is about Trump’s possible abuse of power. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, accused Trump of bribery. I have, too.

Meanwhile, we should be very proud of the foreign service personnel who have come forward and been willing to describe and document the events surrounding Trump’s impeachment inquiry.

In my next post, I want to explore why Ukraine is the foreign nation that is the focus of the Impeachment, and not Russia.