Thread by @lrozen

Taylor: "In August & Sept. of this year, I became increasingly concerned that our relationship with Ukraine was being fundamentally undermined by an irregular, informal channel of US policymaking and by the withholding of vital security assistance for domestic political reasons."

Taylor says when he was mulling Pompeo's offer May 28 to head US mission in Kiev, "I worried about what I had heard concerning the role of Rudolf Giuliani, who had made several high-profile statements about Ukraine and US policy toward the country. So during my meetings w/

"Sec. Pompeo on May 28, I made clear to him & the others present that if US policy towards Ukraine changed, he would not want me posted there & I could not stay. He assured me that the policy of strong support for Ukraine would continue&he would support me in defending that polcy

But once Taylor returned to Ukraine on June 17, he writes, he "discovered a weird combination of encouraging, confusing and ultimately alarming circumstances." [...]
"There appeared to be two channels of US policymaking and implementation, one regular and one highly irregular."

Taylor writes he only had authority over the regular, formal diplomatic processes. "At the same time, there was an irregular, informal channel of US policymaking wrt Ukraine," involving Volker, Sondland, Rick Perry and, "as I subsequently learned," Giuliani.

"I was clearly in the regular channel, but I was also in the irregular one to the extent that Ambassadors Volker and Sondland included me in certain conversations." Although well connected in DC, the irregular channel "operated mostly outside of official State Dept channels."

"It became clear to me by August that the channels had diverged in their objectives. As this occurred, I became increasingly concerned."

Taylor writes in June, it was a US goal to have a WH meeting with Zelensky. "But during subsequent conversations with Volker and Sondland, they relayed to me that the President 'wanted to hear from Zelenskyy' before scheduling the meeting...It was not clear to me what this meant"

"On June 27, Amb. Sondland told me during a phone conversation that Pres. Zelenskyy needed to make clear to Pres. Trump that he, Pres. Zelenskyy, was not standing in the way of 'investigations.'"

"I sensed something odd when Amb. Sondland told me on June 28 that he did not wish to include most of the regular interagency participants in a call planned with Pres. Zelenskyy later that day."

Sondland, Volker, Rick Perry and Taylor were on the (June 28) call, dialling in from different locations. "However, Amb. Sondland said that he wanted to make sure that no one was transcribing or monitoring as they added Pres. Zelenskyy to the call."

Volker also indicated that he planned to be explicit in a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky in Toronto on July 2 "about what Pres. Zelensky should do to get the White House meeting."
"Again, it was not clear to me on that call what that meant"

"But Amb. Volker noted that he would relay that Pres. Trump wanted to see...cooperation on investigations to 'get to the bottom of things.'"

"By mid July it was becoming clear to me that the meeting with Pres. Zelenskyy was conditioned on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US elections.

"It was also clear that this condition was driven by the irregular policy channel I had come to understand was guided by Mr. Giuliani." [...]
On July 10, Zelensky foreign policy advisor now FM relayed that Zelensky advisors had heard from Giuliani phone call btw the 2 presidents

was unlikely and they were disappointed and alarmed. Taylor says he relayed their concerns to Pompeo's counsellor Ulrich Brechbuhl.
On an NSC call July 18, Taylor writes he heard an OMB staffer say "that there was a hold on security assitance to Ukraine but could not say why."

"Toward the end of an otherwise normal meeting, a voice on the call..said that she was from OMB and that her boss had instructed her not to approve any additional spending of security assistance to Ukraine until further notice. I and others sat in astonishment."

"The Ukrainians were fighting the Russians and counted on not only the training & weapons, but also the assurance of US support. All that the OMB staff person said was that the directive had come from the President to the Chief of Staff to OMB."

"In an instant, I realized that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened. The irregular policy channel was running contrary to the goals of longstanding U.S. policy."

A series of NSC interagency meetings followed going up to the cabinet level, Taylor writes. "At every meeting, the unanimous conclusion was that the security assistance should be resumed, the hold lifted." NSC officials told him hold had come from Mulvaney...

NSC officials in July 19 call told him at July 10 meeting with Ukrainian officials at the WH, "Amb. Sondland had connected 'investigations' with a WH meeting for Zelensky," which so irritated Bolton he abruptly ended the meeting, and directed Hill "to brief the lawyers."

Hill said Bolton referred to this as a "drug deal" after the July 10 meeting, and told Hill and Vindman they should have nothing to do with domestic politics. Bolton opposed a Trump Zelensky call out of concern it "would be a disaster."

The Ukrainians were getting confused by the two US policies, Taylor writes. "Amb. Sondland, a participant in the irregular channel, wanted to talk about the connection between a White House meeting and Ukrainian investigations."

"Also during our July 19 call, Dr. Hill informed me that Amb. Volker had met with Mr. Giuliani to discuss Ukraine. This caught me by surprise. The next day, I asked Amb. Volker about that meeting, but received no response."

"Later on July 19 & in the early morning of July 20 (Kyiv time), I received text messages on a 3-way WhatsApp text conversation with Ambs. Volker & Sondland...Amb. Sondland said that a call btw Pres. Trump and Pres. Zelenskyy would take place soon.

"Amb. Volker said that what was 'most impt [important] is for Zelensky to say that he will help investigation--and address any specific personnel issues--if there are any."

"Later on July 20, I had a phone conversation with Amb. Sondland while he was on a train from Paris to London. Amb. Sondland told me that he had recommended to Pres. Zel. that he use the phrase 'I will leave no stone unturned' with regard to investigations" when Z. spoke w/Trump

Taylor writes he had a meeting with Zelensky advisor Danyliuk July 20, "during which he conveyed to me that Pres. Zelensky did not want to be used as a pawn in a U.S. re-election campaign." The next day Taylor texted Sondland and Volker about Zelensky's concerns.

On July 25, Trump and Zelensky had their "long-awaited" phone call. "Strangely," Taylor writes, even though he was chief of mission and scheduled to meet Zelensky and Volker the next day, "I received no readout of the call from the White House."

"The Ukrainian govt issued a short, cryptic summary."
He did not get a readout of the all fromUS government until July 28, when Hill's successor Tim Morrison told him the call "could have been better" & that Trump suggested that Zelensky or his staff meet with Giuliani & AG Barr.

On Aug. 16, Taylor writes he exchanged text messages with Volker, "in which I learned that Mr. Yermak had asked that the United States submit an official request for an investigation into Burisma's alleged violations of Ukrainian law, if that is what the United States desired."

Taylor recommended to Volker that "we stay clear" of that, but gave him the name of a deputy assistant attorney general whom he "thought would be the proper point of contact for seeking a US referral for a foreign investigation."

Taylor starts raising the alarms at State an NSC about US aid to Ukraine having been secretly cut for a month, talking with Pompeo's counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl and NSC. NSC's Tim Morrison tells him the "president doesn't want to provide any assistance at all."

Taylor starts preparing to resign. Aug. 27, Bolton arrives in Kiev, meets with Zelensky. "During their meeting, security assistance was not discussed--amazingly, news of the hold did not leak out until Aug. 29." Bolton recommended Taylor send a first person cable to Pompeo

"relaying my concerns. I wrote and transmitted such a cable on Aug. 29, describing the 'folly' of withholding military aid..." Taylor got no response fro Pompeo, but was told that he carried the cable with him to a meeting at the WH.

Zelensky advisor Yermark called Taylor concerned on Aug. 29 after Politico report about the secret hold on the mil aid. Taylor writes he was embarrassed "I could provide him no explanation for why it was withheld."

"It still had not occurred to me that the hold on security assistance could be related to the 'investigations.'" But on Sept. 1, NSC's Tim Morrison told him that while Pence met with Zelensky in Warsaw, Sondland told Yermark that the security assistance money would not come

until Zelensky "committed to pursue the Burisma investigation. I was alarmed by what Mr. Morrison told me about the Sondland-Yermark conversation. This was the first time I heard that security assistance--not just the WH meeting--was conditioned on the investigations."

"Very concerned, on that same day I sent Amb. Sondland a text message asking if 'we [are] now saying that security assistance and [a] WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?" Sondland said call him.

During the call, "Amb. Sondland told me that Pres. Trump told him he wants Pres. Zelenskyy to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US election." Sondland also told him "everything" was dependent on that announcement

"including security assistance. He [Sondland] said that Pres. Trump wanted Pres. Zelenskyy 'in a public box' by making a public statement about ordering such investigations."

Taylor writes that he asked Sondland in that Sept. 1 call to push back on Trump, and Sondland said he would try. "We also discussed the possibility that the Ukrainian pros. general ..would make a statement about investigations..potentially i in coordination" with Barr probe into

investigation of interference in the 2016 elections."

Taylor and Morrison trade notes on Sept. 2, Morrison part of Pence delegation in Warsaw.
Sept. 5, Senators Ron Johnson, Chris Murphy, Taylor meet with Zelensky, both senators tell Zelensky he should not jeopardize bipartisan US support by getting drawn into US domestic politics

"But the push to make Pres. Zelenskyy to publicly commit to investigations of Burisma and alleged interference in the 2016 elections showed how the official foreign policy of the United States was undercut by the irregular efforts led by Mr. Giuliani."

Morrison tells Taylor about a Sept. 7 Trump-Sondland call. Trump told Sondland that he was not asking for a quid pro quo. "But Pres. Trump did insist that Pres. Zel. go to a microphone & say he is opening investigations of Biden & 2016 election interference," &Z should do himself

"Mr. Morrison said that he told Amb. Bolton and the NSC lawyers of this [Sept. 7] phone call between Pres. Trump and Amb. Sondland."
On Sept. 8, Taylor talks with Sondland, who says Trump insists Zelensky himself had to clear things up and do it in public.

Sondland said he talked to Zelensky and Yermak and told them that though this is not a qui pro quo, "if Pres. Zelenskyy did not 'clear things up' in public, we would be at a stalemate." Taylor says he understood that to mean no security assistance.

"Amb. Sondland said that this conversation concluded with Pres. Zelenskyy agreeing to make a public statement in an interview with CNN."

Taylor expresses his strong reservations in text to Sondland, stating that my "nightmare is they [the Ukrainians] give the interview and don't get the security assistance. The Russians love it. (And I quit.)"

Sept. 9, Taylor tells Sondland and Volker "the message to the Ukrainians (and Russians) we send with this decision on security assistance is key...I think it's crazy to withhold security assitance for help with a political campaign."

Taylor describes both Sondland & Volker using possibly coordinated language w/him about Trump trying to make Ukraine "pay up" before signing the check. Taylor argued the Ukrainians "did not 'owe' Pres. Trump anything,& holding up sec. assistance for domestic political gain crazy

"Finally, I learned on Sept. 11 that the hold had been lifted and that the security assistance would be provided." Taylor conveyed the news, telling Yermark high strategic value of bipartisan support and importance of not getting involved in other countries' elections.

Taylor said he feared at the time that since Sondland had told him Zelensky had agreed to do the CNN interview, Zelensky would make a statement regarding 'investigations.' Taylor says while Danyliuk initially confirmed Z would not give such interview, Yermark looked uncomfortable

Taylor says when WH released partial transcript of 7/25 call: "Although this was the first time I had seen the details...in which he [Trump] mentioned VP Biden, I had come to understand well before then that 'investigations' was a term Ambs Volker & Sondland used to mean

matters related to the 2016 elections, and to investigations of Burisma and the Bidens."