Ulrich Brechbuhl

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After Ukraine's newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky was unable to convince President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence to attend his inauguration, Zelensky attended a June 4, 2019 dinner hosted by the United States Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland. They were joined by White House Advisor Jared Kushner and Ulrich Brechbuhl. [19] [20]

Brechbuhl was identified in a 2019 whistleblower complaint as someone who listened in on Trump's July 25, 2019, phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [21] [22] A "former White House official said it was extremely unusual for a State Department official to be on what was supposed to be a standard congratulatory call from the president to another world leader". [23] Subsequently, a representative of the State Department denied that Brechbuhl was on the call. [24]

On October 2, 2019, Steve Linick, the State Department's inspector general, delivered a 40-page packet of apparent disinformation regarding former Vice President Joe Biden and former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, to Capitol Hill. Linick told congressional aides his office questioned Brechbuhl about the origins of the packet. Brechbuhl noted the packet came to him from Pompeo, who said it "came over," and Brechbuhl reportedly presumed it was from the White House. Later that day, President Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said he passed the packet regarding Ukraine and attacks on Yovanovitch to Pompeo. "They (the State Department) told me they would investigate it," Giuliani added. [25] Also, according to the inspector general, George P. Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for Ukraine, became alarmed about a campaign of disinformation being waged about Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and alerted three state department officials, including Brechbuhl, described as a "a close confidant of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo." [26] Philip Reeker, acting Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, also alerted Brechbuhl to the unfounded smear campaign surrounding Marie Yovanovitch. In an email to Ulrich Brechbuhl, Reeker described the smear as a "fake narrative" that was "really ... without merit or validation" and on other occasions forwarded to Brechbuhl information State Department officials gathered to counter the allegations. President Donald Trump nevertheless removed her prematurely from her post and referred to her as "bad news" in a conversation with the Ukrainian president. [27]

In his public testimony on November 20, 2019 Gordon Sondland noted in his opening statement that United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, then U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker and Sondland himself stayed in touch with Rudy Giuliani regarding the President expectation that a public statement should be made by President Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into corruption issues, and that Giuliani "specifically mentioned the 2016 election (including the DNC server) and Burisma as two topics of importance to the President." Sondland stated that they kept the leadership of the NSC and State Department informed about their activities, including Pompeo and Brechbuhl. Sondland noted that in July Bill Taylor kept Brechbuhl updated on Giuliani's problematic involvement and that nevertheless, as late as September 24, Pompeo was still telling Volker to talk with Giuliani. [28]

Brechbuhl is one of several State Department employees connected to American policy work in Ukraine who have been scheduled to appear before congressional investigators. [29] [30] [31] House impeachment investigators issued a subpoena to Brechbuhl to testify on November 6, 2019, but [32] Brechbuhl defied the subpoena and travelled to Germany with Mike Pompeo instead. [33] [34]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "T. Ulrich Brechbuhl: Counselor of the Department". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State. Retrieved February 1, 2021. In this capacity, he provided strategic guidance to the Secretary on foreign policy, undertakes efforts to enhance U.S. diplomacy and public outreach, and conducts special diplomatic assignments as directed by the Secretary.
  2. ↑ "Derek H. Chollet - Counselor". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  3. ↑ Spero, Domani (May 3, 2018). "Pompeo Appoints West Point Pal, Ulrich Brechbuhl as @StateDept Counselor". Diplopundit.
  4. ↑ Washington Post, "Whistleblower claimed that Trump abused his office and that White House officials tried to cover it up," September 26, 2019
  5. 1 2 3 4 U.S. Department of State, biography of Ulrich Brechbuhl, accessed September 28, 2019,
  6. ↑ The Waldorf School, "Ulrich Brechbuhl" accessed September 29, 2019
  7. ↑ Waldorf School of Garden City, 1982 Yearbook, profile of Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl, p. 61
  8. ↑ "Brechbuhl, T. Ulrich". May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ USMA Howitzer Yearbook 1986, "Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl" p. 432
  10. ↑ Toosi, Nahal (August 20, 2018). "Pompeo's inner circle heavy on business, military experience". Politico. Arlington VA. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Wichita Business Journal, "Army buddies team to fight on Air Capital business front" December 13, 1998
  12. ↑ SEC, Alcentra Capital Corporation, April 2016
  13. ↑ the Register Citizen, "Pompeo caught between Trump's short fuse, Kim's Intransigence" July 9, 2018
  14. ↑ Glasser, Susan B. "Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of Trump". The New Yorker.
  15. ↑ AP News, "Mike Pompeo crafts new ‘ethos’ for U.S. diplomacy, outline's vision in an internal letter to State Dept." April 4, 2019
  16. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Delegation Visits Greenland" Oct 24, 2019
  17. ↑ "T. Ulrich Brechbuhl". 2017-2021.state.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  18. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Career Staffer Was Targeted at State Department for Perceived Political Beliefs," September 14, 2019
  19. ↑ Newsweek, "PHOTO OF JARED KUSHNER DINING NEXT TO UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT AT DIPLOMATS EVENT 7 WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP'S CALL RESURFACES", September 27, 2019
  20. ↑ CBS News, "Read David Holmes' full opening statement in impeachment inquiry", Nov 16, 2019
  21. ↑ Declassified Whistleblower Complaint (PDF) (Report). Washington DC: US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. September 26, 2019. p. 3. Retrieved September 26, 2019. In addition to White House personnel, I was told that a State Department official, Mr. T. Ulrich Brechbuhl, also listened in on the call.
  22. ↑ "Full Document: The Whistle-Blower Complaint (annotated version, including cover letter of Inspector General)". The New York Times. September 26, 2019. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  23. ↑ Shear, Michael D. (September 26, 2019). "White House Tried to 'Lock Down' Ukraine Call Records, Whistle-Blower Says". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  24. ↑ CNN "Pompeo subpoenaed by House committees for failure to produce Ukraine documents" September 27, 2019
  25. ↑ USA Today "'Mysterious' packet of Ukraine disinformation arrives on Capitol Hill amid Trump impeachment inquiry" 2 Oct 2019
  26. ↑ Washington Post, "State Dept.’s George Kent faces questions about Ukraine, Giuliani in impeachment probe," Oct 15, 2019
  27. ↑ CBS News, "State Department official appears under subpoena as part of impeachment probe" Oct 26, 2019
  28. ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Opening Statement of Ambassador Gordon Sondland", Nov. 20 2019
  29. ↑ New York Times, "The Evidence Collected So Far in the Trump Impeachment Inquiry," 4 Oct 2019
  30. ↑ The New York Times, "Factbox: Portraits of Volker, Four U.S. Diplomats Asked to Testify in Trump Impeachment Inquiry" 3 Oct 2019
  31. ↑ The New York Times, "House Democrats Issue First Subpoena in Impeachment Inquiry" 27 Sept 2019
  32. ↑ CNN, "OMB and State department officials subpoenaed in House impeachment inquiry" Oct 25, 2019
  33. ↑ "Pompeo has lost confidence at State amid impeachment probe" - CNN, Nov 6, 2019
  34. ↑ "Flickr Photo gallery".
Ulrich Brechbuhl
T Ulrich Brechbuhl Official Photo.jpg
34th Counselor of the United States Department of State
In office
May 1, 2018 –January 20, 2021
Political offices
Preceded by Counselor of the United States Department of State
2018–2021		Succeeded by
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