US diplomat drawn into Trump’s Ukraine effort set to testify

In this file photo taken on July 27, 2019, US Ambassador in Ukraine William Taylor speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine. William Taylor, the top American diplomat in Ukraine, is set to appear Tuesday before impeachment investigators in U.S. Congress, joining a parade of current and former diplomats testifying about Trump's dealings with Ukraine. Members of Congress are set to hear directly from the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, who was drawn into a Trump administration effort to leverage U.S. military aid for the country.

William Taylor is scheduled to testify before closed doors Tuesday in an inquiry trying to determine if Trump committed impeachable offenses by pressing the president of Ukraine into pursuing information that could help his campaign. In excerpts of text messages released by impeachment investigators in Congress, Taylor wrote: “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Taylor was tapped for the post after U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was removed before the end of her term following a campaign against her led by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.