For the past six weeks or more we have been barraged by the news media’s incessant interest in Trump’s impeachment. They and the Democrats continually spin everything they believe to know into another indictment of Trump leading to his inevitable impeachment. The latest came with the revelation of a so-called Whistleblower complaint to the ICIG (Intelligence Community Inspector General), alleging Trump sought assistance from a foreign government to come up with dirt on Democrat Candidate Joe Biden. In his ongoing effort to provide transparency into his Presidency, Trump released a summary of the telephone conversation where this solicitation was alleged to have occurred.
I have read this summary, I have listened to the media read and re-read the summary, and they always conclude Trump ask for assistance in destroying Biden. I have never been able to come to that conclusion. The conversation centers around corruption in Ukraine, the new president ran on a campaign to eliminate corruption and Trump, picking up on this, asks for a favor of the President. The favor, that he look into efforts by Ukrainians to undermine his candidacy in the 2016 election. Trump follows up with the suggestion there was something not quite right with Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s dealings with Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company that had been under investigation previously. Democrats and the media insist this was intended to undermine the Biden Campaign and therefore is an impeachable offense. A big stretch for me.
The Whistleblower was not a participant in the phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian President and came by the information from others who supposedly were in on the call. The fact is there was a call, Trump released the summary of the conversation and it clearly includes Trump’s request of the Ukrainian President. So he has hidden nothing. He has labeled the call perfect numerous times but I believe we can agree, given the backlash, it was not perfect.
Additional facts regarding the potential motivations of the Whistleblower have come to light since the public was made aware of the complaint. He/she previously worked for one of the Democratic candidates, the ICIG found the Whistleblower was biased but nonetheless passed on the complaint, and prior to submitting the complaint the Whistleblower took the concern to the staff of the Congressional Intel Committee whose Chairman, Adam Schiff, is known to be seeking an opportunity to impeach Trump.
Now the unasked question. Did the Whistleblower, who apparently so concerned over the phone call and other actions of the President, avail himself/herself of other procedural avenues to voice the complaint. Was the issue discussed with his/her superior or anyone in the reporting chain of command? If not, why not?
As a result of the Whistleblower complaint, Congress has launched a formal Impeachment Inquiry. Yesterday they held the first public hearing on the matter, after weeks of closed-door secret depositions. The witnesses, George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and William (Bill) Taylor, interim Ambassador to Ukraine, provided testimony to the effect they found the withholding of military aid to Ukraine detrimental to both Ukrainian and US interests in the region. Taylor stated he had gained a clear understanding the aid was being withheld in order for Trump to get the favor of an investigation into Biden. A quid pro quo. This leads us to the following unasked questions. If either of these gentlemen were so concerned about what was occurring and interpreted the events as they stated, did they address their concerns with others in their chain of command? Kent, who stated he had voiced concern in years past about Hunter Biden, the son of then Vice President Biden being a member of the board for Burisma, apparently did not voice a similar concern with anyone in his chain of command regarding Trump or the errant policies he perceived being pursued. Taylor who had a clear understanding there was a quid pro quo, met with the Ukrainian President on three occasions but in these meetings, there was no mention of the military aid nor of the need for investigations to be pursued. Taylor does not appear to have brought it up with the Ukrainian President nor did he address his concern with anyone in his direct chain of command, i.e. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the man who hired him.
Why have these questions not been put to the Whistleblower or the witnesses? All of these and other bureaucrats seem to be so outraged over Trump’s actions but none of them appear to be following any typical procedure for having one’s concerns addressed. They all want to go straight to the Democrat Committees looking to depose a duly elected President.
