Another Deep State takedown

Ambassador Taylor latest to defy Trump

Once again, as we’ve been finding out during the ongoing impeachment inquiry, the Deep State has had enough of Donald Trump. For a while, it was looking pretty bleak. Time and again, Trump administration officials were subpoenaed by the House, who then gladly and willingly obliged the President’s wishes not to cooperate. I have to admit, the obstruction and non-compliance were beginning to weigh on my belief system that eventually, reasonable people would step forward and do the right thing.

But, as I pointed out in my post from October 15, we’re seemingly witnessing a sea change as it pertains to cooperating with the inquiry. Two women, Maria Yovanovitch and Fiona Hill, thumbed their noses at the President and testified under oath to tell their side of the story in Ukraine’s ‘quid pro quo’ scandal. The irony that two strong-willed women and career public servants were playing a significant role in possibly removing this President from office is priceless.

Yesterday, however, acting American Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor stepped up to the plate, and by all reports, knocked it out of the park. And while we honored the two women last week, this week it happens to be a man that decided to be an American first, and an underling subservient to the President, second.

According to Taylor’s opening statement, he confirmed that the aid requested by the Ukrainian government depended upon a public declaration of an investigation into Joe Biden’s son, as well as the debunked 2016 election conspiracy theory.

When I heard the news of Taylor’s testimony, my mind immediately jumped to how the Trump team would try to discredit him. One thing I’ve learned throughout Trump’s presidency is how predictable their responses to people who go against them have become. And sure enough, they did not disappoint.

Within hours, the White House released a statement precisely as I predicted. Ranting about far-left politicians out to get Trump, they then pointed their ire at Taylor, referring to him as a “radical unelected bureaucrat.”

Based on that ridiculous assessment of Taylor, I’m providing a short bio of the Ambassador, as I did last week with the two ladies who testified. Why? When this is all said and done, and the smoke clears, it’s going to come down to credibility.

Are we going to believe an administration that lies multiple times daily or those who’ve served our country with distinction and not a hint of political bias? Are we to believe an appointed Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, who gave a million bucks to the Trump’s campaign, or Bill Taylor, who has served our country for nearly five decades and multiple presidential administrations? I’ll let the facts speak for themselves.

 

Ambassador Bill Taylor

Education

* Graduate of West Point, top 1% of the class, 1969

* Masters of Public Policy Degree, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, 1977

Military

*United States Army, 1969-1975; including tours of duty at the 82^nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, and the 101^st Airborne Division in Vietnam during the war.

*Commanded company in 101^st Division-received Bronze Star and Air Medal V for heroism.

*Aero-rifle commander 2^nd United States Cavalry Regiment defending NATO in Germany

Civilian and Government

*Director of Emergency Preparedness Policy, Department of Energy

*Legislative Assistant, Staff of Senator Bill Bradley, five years

*Special Deputy Defense Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, five years

*Helped coordinate assistance to Eastern Europe, formerly the Soviet Union, and Kabul, 1992-2002

*Director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, 2004, in Baghdad

*Confirmed United States Ambassador to Ukraine under George W. Bush and Barrack Obama, 2006-2009

*Executive Vice President of the United States Institute of Peace, 2015

*charge’ d’affaires Ukraine, 2019

While we haven’t seen the full testimony from Taylor, based on his opening statement, it appears Mr. Sondland may have some explaining to do. According to Taylor, Sondland informed him that the military aid depended upon a public declaration by Ukraine of opening the Biden/2016 election investigations, which would contradict what we’ve heard from Sondland. In his public statement, Sondland said that Trump informed him that there was no quid pro quo. Taylor’s statement suggested otherwise.

So we’re left with believing one of these two men. I think most reasonable people would look at Mr. Taylor’s lifelong public service and give him the benefit of the doubt. Mr. Sondland, however, bought his way to an ambassadorship via a substantial campaign contribution to Trump.

It stretches credulity to think Taylor has an ax to grind. He’s not in this for anything other than serving his country. He was asked to do this job by none other than noted Trump sycophant, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo himself. According to Taylor’s public statement, his wife advised him against taking the position. But, when he asked advice from a senior diplomat about whether he should accept the job, the person told him if you’re asked to serve, you do it.

Undoubtedly, Taylor knew the administration would smear his character if he testified. Yet, like Fiona Hill and Maria Yovanovitch, he did it anyway. Absent this scandal, most of the American people would have never heard of these patriots. For that alone, it’s been worth it, if nothing else than to prove that there are decent and selfless people working in government.

And when you hear the administration railing about “radical unelected bureaucrats,” think of Ambassador Bill Taylor: West Point and Harvard Graduate, Vietnam Vet and decades of international diplomacy. Look at his resume of success and service and ask yourselves why they’d go out of their way to smear such a man.

It’s pretty straightforward. The President would like us all to think that everyone is corrupt. He’s like us to think everyone is flawed. If we’re honest with ourselves, though, we know that’s not the case: He is corrupt; He is deeply flawed. Those two facts are indisputable.