• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Power 40
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Power 40
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home • Politics

U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine Testifies Aid To The Country Was Held For Trump’s Political Benefit

In a 10-hour deposition with Democrats on Tuesday, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, William B. Taylor Jr. called Trump's actions "highly irregular."
U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine Testifies Aid To The Country Was Held For Trump’s Political Benefit
UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 16: Bill Taylor, center, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, arrives to the Capitol for a deposition related to the House’s impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images),
By Tanya A. Christian · Updated December 6, 2020

On Tuesday, William B. Taylor Jr., the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, testified in a closed-door deposition with Democrats that the White House threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine until they agreed to investigate Trump’s political adversaries. The meeting lasted for 10 hours.

Multiple reports have stated that Taylor’s testimony revealed a potentially improper relationship between the Trump administration and Ukraine. It also gave Democrats credible evidence to solidify a “quid pro quo” which lies at the heart of the Party’s impeachment inquiry.

In Taylor’s 15-page opening statement which was obtained by The Washington Post, the country’s top diplomat in Ukraine revealed that Ukraine’s newly elected president was pressured to “go to a microphone and say he is opening investigations of [Democratic presidential candidate Joe] Biden and 2016 election interference.” Taylor, according to The Post, was told by Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, that “everything” was dependant upon that announcement.

Article continues after video.

Taylor also testified that behind the scenes, top officials tried to meet with Trump in an effort to push him to release nearly $400 million in aid that could help Ukraine defend itself against its next-door neighbor. The move nearly pushed Taylor to resign. “I could not and would not defend such a policy,” Taylor said.

The testimony from Taylor is yet another instance when a “quid pro quo” between Trump and Ukraine is clearly outlined. Last week the White House’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, outlined a “quid pro quo” when speaking to journalists. At the time he said that people need to “get over it.”

U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine Testifies Aid To The Country Was Held For Trump’s Political Benefit
White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 17, 2019. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

News of Taylor’s testimony comes amid backlash that Trump is facing after tweeting that the impeachment inquiry into his unethical dealings with Ukraine, is a “lynching.” Some have presumed that the morning tweet was intended to create a distraction for Taylor’s closed-door deposition, which many on the left have called “explosive.”   

TOPICS:  congresswoman Donald Trump Essence News impeachment impeachment inquiry maxine waters News Politics Taylor Testimony Trump administration
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now