Tim Morrison (presidential advisor)

Last updated

Tim Morrison
Tim Morrison.jpg
Senior Director for Europe and Russia on the National Security Council
In office
July 15, 2019 –October 31, 2019

Morrison was among the people listening in on the July 25, 2019 phone conversation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that is central to the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. [11] He was a primary source of information regarding the matter to William B. Taylor, Jr., the acting US ambassador to Ukraine. [12]

Morrison's deposition in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, given behind closed doors on October 31, partially corroborated the earlier deposition by Taylor, in particular that U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland had told Andrey Yermak  [ Wikidata ], an aide to Zelensky via telephone that military aid to Ukraine, and a White house meeting with Trump, were conditional on a Ukrainian public announcement of an investigation into Burisma, and the Ukraine involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Morrison also testified that his concerns regarding the Trump–Zelensky call, which he promptly communicated to White House lawyers, were about repercussions if the transcript of the call was to be leaked, not about the legality of its content or quid pro quo. [13] [14] [15] According to official transcripts of Morrison's closed door testimony, Morrison stated, "I want to be clear, I was not concerned that anything illegal was discussed," in the telephone call between Trump and Zelensky. [16]

External video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Testimony of Morrison and Kurt Volker to the House Intelligence Committee, November 19, 2019, C-SPAN

During public testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives on November 19, 2019, Morrison stated that Sondland confirmed to him that there was indeed a quid pro quo requirement for US aid to Ukraine, and again brought up the telephone conversation between Sondland and Yermak, which took place on September 1, 2019. [17]

Subsequent career

Morrison is serving as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. [18] [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Taylor Jr.</span> American diplomat (born 1947)

William Brockenbrough Taylor Jr. is an American diplomat, government official, and former military officer. He served as the 6th United States ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009 under President Bush and Obama, and as chargé d’affaires to Ukraine from June 2019 to January 2020 under President Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Yovanovitch</span> Canadian-American diplomat (born 1958)

Marie Louise "Masha" Yovanovitch is a Canadian-American former diplomat and retired senior member of the United States Foreign Service. She served in multiple State Department posts, including Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2004–2005), U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan (2005–2008), U.S. Ambassador to Armenia (2008–2011), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (2012–2013), and Ambassador to Ukraine (2016–2019). Yovanovitch is a diplomat in residence at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. On January 31, 2020 it was reported that she had retired from the State Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Volker</span> American diplomat (born 1964)

Kurt Douglas Volker is an American diplomat who served as George W. Bush's last U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Later he served as executive director of the McCain Institute for International Leadership and in a volunteer capacity as Donald J. Trump's U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine until his resignation on September 27, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Johnson</span> American politician (born 1955)

Ronald Harold Johnson is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold. He was reelected in 2016, defeating Feingold in a rematch, and in 2022, narrowly defeating Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Sondland</span> American businessman and former diplomat (born 1957)

Gordon David Sondland is an American businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Provenance Hotels. He also served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from 2018 to 2020. In November 2019, Sondland testified as a witness at the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. After refusing to resign, he was fired by Trump on February 7, 2020, two days after the conclusion of Trump's impeachment trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulrich Brechbuhl</span> Swiss-American businessman and government official

Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl is a Swiss-American businessman and former government official, having held the position of Counselor of the United States Department of State from May 1, 2018, to January 20, 2021. He was appointed by and reported to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and replaced Maliz E. Beams. Along with the role of Counselor, he served as the Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Department of State from March to September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency (2019 Q4)</span>

The following is a timeline of the presidency of Donald Trump during the fourth and last quarter of 2019, from October 1 to December 31, 2019. To navigate quarters, see timeline of the Donald Trump presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump–Ukraine scandal</span> U.S. political scandal that began in 2019

The Trump–Ukraine scandal was a U.S. political scandal that arose from the discovery of U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to coerce Ukraine and other countries into providing damaging narratives about 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden and giving misinformation relating to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Trump enlisted surrogates within and outside his official administration, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr, to pressure Ukraine and other foreign governments to cooperate in supporting conspiracy theories concerning American politics. Trump blocked payment of a congressionally-mandated $400 million military aid package in an attempt to obtain quid pro quo cooperation from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump released the aid after becoming aware of a whistleblower complaint about his activities relating to Ukraine, before the complaint was known by Congress or the public. A number of contacts were established between the White House and the government of Ukraine, culminating in a phone call between Trump and Zelenskyy on July 25, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump</span> First impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump

The inquiry process which preceded the first impeachment of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States, was initiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 24, 2019, after a whistleblower alleged that Donald Trump may have abused the power of the presidency. Trump was accused of withholding military aid as a means of pressuring newly elected president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue investigations of Joe Biden and his son Hunter and to investigate a conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind interference in the 2016 presidential election. More than a week after Trump had put a hold on the previously approved aid, he made these requests in a July 25 phone call with the Ukrainian president, which the whistleblower said was intended to help Trump's reelection bid.

John A. Eisenberg is an American lawyer who served as a deputy counsel to the President of the United States and legal advisor to the U.S. National Security Council during the presidency of Donald Trump. He was selected by former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Earlier in his career, from 2006 to 2009, he served in the Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal</span> Dispute about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections

Since 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his allies have promoted several conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal. One such theory seeks to blame Ukraine, instead of Russia, for interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Also among the conspiracy theories are accusations against Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and several elements of the right-wing Russia investigation origins counter-narrative. American intelligence believes that Russia engaged in a years long campaign to frame Ukraine for the 2016 election interference, that the Kremlin is the prime mover behind promotion of the fictitious alternative narratives, and that these are harmful to the United States. FBI director Christopher A. Wray stated to ABC News that "We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election" and that "as far as the [2020] election itself goes, we think Russia represents the most significant threat."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Cooper</span> American civil servant

Laura Katherine Cooper is an American civil servant. She is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and a career member of the Senior Executive Service. She previously served as principal director in the office of the Homeland Defense and Global Security Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Vindman</span> American Army officer (born 1975)

Alexander Semyonovich Vindman is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel who was the Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council (NSC) until he was reassigned on February 7, 2020. Alexander is currently director for the think tank the Institute for Informed American Leadership (IIAL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Williams</span> American diplomat

Jennifer Leigh Williams is an American United States Department of State official who has served as a special advisor to U.S. vice president Mike Pence on European and Russian affairs. Williams testified under subpoena, in the impeachment hearings of Donald Trump, in closed-door hearings before the House intelligence, Oversight, and Foreign Affairs committees on November 9, 2019. She gave public testimony to the House of Representatives ten days later.

David Holmes is an American diplomat who served as a counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine circa 2019-2020. He is at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service as Senior State Department Fellow, as of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First impeachment of Donald Trump</span> 2019 US presidential impeachment

The first impeachment of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, began on December 18, 2019, during the 116th United States Congress. The House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump was acquitted by the Senate on February 5, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First impeachment trial of Donald Trump</span> 2020 trial in the US Senate

The first impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, began in the U.S. Senate on January 16, 2020, and concluded with his acquittal on February 5. After an inquiry between September and November 2019, President Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 18, 2019; the articles of impeachment charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. It was the third impeachment trial of a U.S. president, preceded by those of Andrew Johnson and of Bill Clinton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory</span> Political conspiracy theory

The Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory is a series of false allegations that Joe Biden, while he was vice president of the United States, improperly withheld a loan guarantee to pressure Ukraine into firing prosecutor general Viktor Shokin to prevent a corruption investigation of Ukrainian gas company Burisma and to protect his son, Hunter Biden, who was on the Burisma board. As part of efforts by Donald Trump and his campaign in the Trump–Ukraine scandal, which led to Trump's first impeachment, these falsehoods were spread in an attempt to damage Joe Biden's reputation and chances during the 2020 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2019)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in second half of 2019 related to the investigations into the myriad links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, and the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and the first half of 2019, but precedes that of 2020 and 2021.

"There was no quid pro quo" was a phrase frequently employed by Donald Trump and his supporters in reference to the Trump–Ukraine scandal during the first impeachment of Donald Trump, denying that a quid pro quo extortion attempt had taken place.

References

  1. ↑ Baker, Peter; MacFarquhar, Neil (June 27, 2019). "At G20, Trump Seeks Fresh Start with Putin after End of Mueller Inquiry". The New York Times . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ Miller, Zeke. "National Security Council Official Tim Morrison Resigns the Day Before He Testifies to Congress About Ukraine". Time. AP. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. ↑ Cohen, Zachary; Atwood, Kylie (November 18, 2019). "White House national security official testifying in impeachment inquiry to step down soon". CNN. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Tim Morrison resigns from National Security Council ahead of impeachment testimony". Axios. October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Ordoñez, Franco (October 30, 2019). "Trump's Russia Director To Leave National Security Council Amid Impeachment Inquiry". NPR . Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Spencer Ackerman (August 2, 2018) [August 1, 2018]. "John Bolton Brings a Nuclear Superhawk into the White House". The Daily Beast . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  7. ↑ Kessler, Glenn and Kelly, Meg. (20 March 2020). "Was the White House office for global pandemics eliminated?". Washington Post website Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Struglinski, Suzanne; Young, Samantha (August 29, 2013). The Almanac of the Unelected, 2013: Staff of the U.S. Congress. Bernan Press. p. 92. ISBN   9781598886320.
  9. ↑ "Andrew Peek". US Department of State. October 7, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Timothy Morrison". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. March 29, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  11. ↑ Brown, Pamela; Diamond, Jeremy; Collins, Kaitlan; Liptak, Kevin (October 8, 2019). "Inside the White House's effort to contain Ukraine call fallout". CNN. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  12. ↑ Bump, Philip (October 23, 2019). "Timeline: how the acting ambassador to Ukraine says he learned of quid pro quo by Trump". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  13. ↑ Fandos, Nicholas (October 31, 2019). "White House Aide Confirms He Saw Signs of a Quid Pro Quo on Ukraine". The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  14. ↑ House, Billy (October 31, 2019). "White House Aide Tells House of Concerns Over Trump and Ukraine". Bloomberg News . Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  15. ↑ Raju, Manu; Herb, Jeremy (November 1, 2019). "Impeachment deposition: NSC official corroborates testimony linking Ukraine aid to investigations". CNN . Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Morrison corroborates testimony linking Ukraine aid to investigations". October 31, 2019.
  17. ↑ Ward, Alex, "One of the Republicans’ witnesses confirmed a quid pro quo on TV", vox.com , November 19, 2019.
  18. ↑ Morrison, Tim, "No, the White House didn’t ‘dissolve’ its pandemic response office. I was there", Washington Post op-ed, March 16, 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  19. ↑ Morrison, Tim, "No, the White House didn’t ‘dissolve’ its pandemic response office. I was there", Washington Post op-ed via Hudson Institute website, March 17, 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  20. ↑ Kaczynski, Andrew; Steck, Em (April 3, 2020). "Top administration officials said last year threat of pandemic kept them up at night". CNN. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.