Thread by @benrileysmith

Washington Post has published a leaked version of Bob Taylor’s opening testimony to impeachment inquiry.
washingtonpost.com/context/openin…

Bill Taylor was charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Kyiv - in other words, a critical witness in the Ukraine scandal that triggered impeachment.

Taylor: “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 US policy-making and by the withholding of security assistance for domestic political reasons"

Taylor says there was an “irregular, informal channel of US policy-making” when he took over at America’s Ukraine embassy in June.

It involved...
Volker [US special rep to Ukraine]
Sondland [US ambassador to EU]
Perry [US energy sec]
Rudy Giuliani [Trump’s personal lawyer].

💥💥Taylor believed Trump meeting was conditioned on investigating Hunter Biden firm

“By mid-July it was becoming clear to me that the meeting President Zelenskyy wanted was conditioned on the investigations of Bursima and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US elections”

Taylor says he “sat in astonishment” when told on July 18 that US would not be approve more spending on security assistance to Ukraine “until further notice”.

“In an instant, I realized that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened.”

And there's more...

Taylor says Defence Sec, Sec of State, CIA director and John Bolton ALL tried to get a meeting with Trump convincing him to release Ukraine aid.

That's four cabinet members allegedly arguing pausing Ukraine aid was wrong.

The meeting "was hard to schedule"

Some of the Ukraine scandal debate has centered on what impact US military aid - which was held back - actually had.

Here's Taylor's view from in the field: “More Ukrainians would undoubtedly die without the US assistance.”

I.e. the delay endangered lives

Taylor says he was told Trump wanted Ukrainian president "to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US Election".

Burisma = the Hunter Biden company.

Taylor was told Trump wanted Ukraine pres "in a public box"

Rudy Giuliani's irregular Ukraine drive "undercut" America's official foreign policy, Bob Taylor testified.

Taylor recalls chats w/ US's EU ambassador Sondland while the aid was still held.

Taylor recounts what Sondland said

“When a businessman is about to sign a check to someone who owes him something, he said, the businessman asks that person to pay up before signing the check”

!!