Former Envoy To Ukraine Kurt Volker Resigns After Being Named In Whistleblower Report
The long-standing American diplomat is in hot water.
Instagram It’s been a big week on Capitol Hill. The highly anticipated, closed door hearing centered around American diplomat, Kurt Volker got underway. He underwent nine hours of congressional questioning. Kurt Volker has been ensnared in the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, with his actions being linked to his efforts to takedown Joe Biden.
Volker, however, asserts otherwise. In his opening statement, he defended his integrity, mentioning he was not aware of Trump’s master plan and his request to the Ukrainian President Volodymur Zelenskiy to launch an investigation into the Biden family. He then informed Congress that he advised Ukrainian officials to heed his warning and not get involved with the upcoming U.S. elections.
Confused? You’re in the majority. This political brawl is complex, which goes without saying. Naturally, you’re probably wondering, who is Kurt Volker?
1. Kurt Volker is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
Volker has a long, impressive resume in foreign affairs. His career began in 1986 at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked as an analyst. From there, he joined the United States Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer and worked overseas in London, Brussels, and the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. These assignments led him to a legislative fellowship under John McCain, where he became first secretary of the U.S. mission to NATO. In 2008, he was appointed as U.S. ambassador to NATO by President George W. Bush.
2. The former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine resigned his post last week after his name appeared in the whistleblower’s complaint about the president’s dealings with the Ukraine.
According to NBC, Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani informed reporters that Volker had “encouraged him to speak to Ukrainian officials” regarding former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. This came after Volker met with Trump regarding the new Ukrainian government’s initiative to fight corruption, which has been a pressing issue amid Russian aggression and turmoil. In response, Volker urged Trump to invite Ukraine’s new president as a way to say, “we support you and your new democracy.”
3. The whistleblower complaint cited that Volker traveled to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymur Zeleskiy.
Volker told lawmakers and congressional staff that the president had his doubts, as his relationship with the foreign nation had been strained by ongoing rivalry. It was, as Volker delivered in his opening statement on Thursday, a slippery slope to navigate as he tried to honor demands from Trump, while keeping Ukrainian officials above America’s messy domestic politics.
4. Volker was outed by Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who revealed text messages from Volker.
Last month, Giuliani revealed text messages allegedly from Volker, implicating Trump’s personal attorney to Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Zelensky. Additional text messages also divulged that Volker encouraged Giuliani to meet with Ukrainian officials.
Now back to the whistleblower: he (or she) asserts that Giuliani met with Yermak as a “follow-up” to the President’s call with Zelensky about “the cases they had discussed. It is alleged that Volker spoke with Giuliani to “contain the damage” to national security.
5. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to block Volker’s testimony.
In his letter to the chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight and Reform committees, he blasted the charade as “an attempt to intimidate, bully, and treat improperly, the distinguished professionals of the Department of State,” and that Congress had no authority to continue further.
6. What’s next for Volker?
Volker knows a lot, and his insider knowledge has been proven valuable in the process. Nonetheless, despite his recent testimony, there are many questions still to be had, making this tumultuous political examination even more complex. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how the case progresses.
Dominique is an unapologetic Scorpio (BIG co-star girl), reality TV loving heathen, and twenty-something, NYC-based writer with a moderately interesting life, knack for editing, and passion for content creation. Though no one asked, all opinions and words are her own and authentic— topics ranging from fashion and food to beauty, lifestyle, music and everything in between.