More than 300 former officials call Trump's actions re Ukraine 'profound national security concern

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/nearly-300-former-officials-call-trumps-actions-concerning-ukraine-profound-national-security-concern/2019/09/27/254c09ac-e09e-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_story.html

By Karen DeYoung September 27, 2019 at 7:29 a.m. EDT

More than 300 former U.S. national security and foreign policy officials have signed a statement warning that President Trump’s actions regarding Ukraine are a “profound national security concern” and supporting an impeachment inquiry by Congress to determine “the facts.”

“To be clear, we do not wish to prejudge the totality of the facts or Congress’ deliberative process,” said the statement, released Friday. “At the same time, there is no escaping that what we already know is serious enough to merit impeachment proceedings.”

The collection of signatures was set in motion by National Security Action, an organization founded and largely populated by officials from the Obama administration to call attention to Trump’s “reckless leadership.”

Many of the signers are former Obama officials. But the list includes others who served as career officials in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including Matthew Olsen, head of the Justice Department’s national security division under President George W. Bush and director of the National Counterterrorism Center under President Barack Obama.

Career diplomats also include William Burns, former assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, undersecretary for policy and ambassador to Russia under Bush, and deputy secretary under Obama; Nancy McEldowney, former Bush ambassador to Bulgaria and deputy chief of mission to Turkey; and Jeffrey Feltman, who served in senior State Department positions beginning in the George H.W. Bush administration and for nearly six years as undersecretary general at the United Nations until his 2018 retirement.

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[Gothmog]

1. This is a powerful statement

Link to tweet

[Indykatie]

2. Trump Made Enemies of the Intelligence Community, FBI, CIA, Ambassadors and Others

He should not be surprised if some of them decide to take their revenge now. I expect more dirt to come out that is not included in the WB complaint. Buckle up.

[dalton99a]

3. Kick

September 27, 2019

As national security professionals, many of us have long been concerned with
President Trump’s actions and their implications for our safety and security. Some of us
have spoken out, but many of us have eschewed politics throughout our careers and,
as a result, have not weighed in publicly.

The revelations of recent days, however, demand a response. Specifically, all of us
recognize the imperative of formal impeachment proceedings to ascertain additional
facts and weigh the consequences of what we have learned and what may yet still
emerge. We applaud those Members of Congress, including Speaker Pelosi, who have
now started us down that necessary path.

President Trump appears to have leveraged the authority and resources of the highest
office in the land to invite additional foreign interference into our democratic
processes. That would constitute an unconscionable abuse of power. It also would
represent an effort to subordinate America’s national interests—and those of our
closest allies and partners—to the President’s personal political interest.

Having worked across administrations of both parties to uphold and advance those
national interests, we consider the President’s actions to be a profound national
security concern. Our relations with the rest of the world and our policies on the global
stage must be based solely on what is in the national interest. The introduction of any
other considerations of the President debases our democracy, has the potential to
make us more vulnerable to threats, and sends a message to leaders around the world
that America’s foreign policy can be dangerously corrupted by catering to a single
individual. If we fail to speak up—and act—now our foreign policy and national security
will officially be on offer to those who can most effectively fulfill the President’s
personal prerogatives.

To be clear, we do not wish to prejudge the totality of the facts or Congress’
deliberative process. At the same time, there is no escaping that what we already
know is serious enough to merit impeachment proceedings. From there, the facts—and
nothing but the facts—should dictate how Congress holds the President to account
and signals to the world that our foreign policy and national security are not for sale.

(VERY LONG LIST OF SIGNATORIES)