Kurt Volker: Diplomat never 'fully on the Trump train' set to appear as first witness in Ukraine pro
Source: CNN
By Nicole Gaouette, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, CNN
Updated 9:06 PM ET, Wed October 2, 2019
Washington (CNN)Former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker appears Thursday before three congressional committees -- the first official to testify on explosive whistleblower charges that President Donald Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden, an effort the White House then worked to cover up.
A longtime Republican foreign policy expert who was seen in the White House as not fully "on the Trump train," Volker is now at the center of the impeachment inquiry examining allegations Trump deployed the machinery of state in a vendetta to target political rivals.
Volker's testimony, analysts say, could be damaging to the President and his allies.
Volker is seen as "a well-respected straight shooter who is likely to testify in ways that will damage other Trump allies," Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, wrote in an emailed analysis. "It's possible others, including key administration members like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr would also be forced out."
Volker is also one of the State Department witnesses whose depositions to Congress Secretary of State Michael Pompeo tried to block, setting off a tussle with lawmakers who say they will interpret any effort to prevent the officials' appearances as obstruction.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/politics/kurt-volker-who-and-why/index.html
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