Ex-Amb. Yovanovitch Says State Department Is in Trouble
Former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch looks up at the audience as she speaks at Georgetown University on Wednesday. (Susan Walsh/AP)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Wednesday cautioned that the State Department is in trouble.
'The policy process has been replaced by the decisions emanating from the top with little discussion,' Yovanovitch said during a speaking event at Georgetown University where she received an award that recognized her long career as a diplomat. 'Vacancies at all levels go unfilled and officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy, even behind closed doors.'
Yovanovitch, who was recalled from her post earlier this year and became a central witness in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, also cautioned that senior leaders at the State Department “lack policy vision, moral clarity and leadership skills” and that “an amoral, ‘keep them guessing’ foreign policy that substitutes threats, fear and confusion for trust cannot work.
'At some point, the once-unthinkable will become the soon-inevitable: that our allies, who have as much right to act in their own self-interest as we do, will seek out more reliable partners, partners whose interests might not align well with ours.'
Yovanovitch was making her first public appearance since testifying before Congress in the impeachment proceedings.
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Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testifies before the House Intelligence Committee in 2019 (Andrew Harrer/Getty Images)
By Jeffrey Rodack | Thursday, 06 February 2020 11:34 AM
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch claims the Trump administration has made the public question the truth.
She made her comments in The Washington Post on Thursday – less than 12 hours after the Senate impeachment trial ended with President Donald Trump being acquitted.
Yovanovitch, who had been recalled from her post last year, criticized the administration without ever mentioning the president by name.
'This administration, through acts of omission and commission, has undermined our democratic institutions, making the public question the truth,' she said.
'Unfortunately, the last year has shown that we need to fight for our democracy. 'Freedom is not free' is a pithy phrase that usually refers to the sacrifices of our military against external threats. It turns out that same slogan can be applied to challenges which are closer to home.'
She urged Americans to 'stand up for our values, defend our institutions, participate in civil society, and support a free press.'
Yovanovitch added: 'I had always thought that our institutions would forever protect us against individual transgressors. But it turns out that our institutions need us as much as we need them; they need the American people to protect them or they will be hollowed out over time, unable to serve and protect our country.'
While calling the events of last year 'deeply disturbing,' she said: 'Like my parents before me, I remain optimistic about our future.'
And she added: 'We will endure, we will persist, and we will prevail.'
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