William Taylor Jr.
For more than half a century, William B. Taylor Jr. embodied the highest ideals of American public service. Throughout a distinguished career spanning military service, diplomacy, and national security, his loyalty was to the Constitution and the enduring interests of the United States. Respected by colleagues in Republican and Democratic administrations alike, Taylor earned a reputation for integrity, humility, and sound judgment.
Taylor's moral courage was tested in 2019 while serving as Chargé d’ Affairs in Ukraine after Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch's highly questionable removal by President Donald Trump. He became deeply troubled by reports that nearly $400 million in congressionally authorized military assistance was being withheld until the Ukrainian government announced investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden that would politically benefit Trump. Taylor believed such a linkage represented a dangerous departure from established American foreign policy and would weaken an ally fighting Russian aggression.
Concerned, Taylor sent a text message to Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, whose influence over Ukraine policy extended well beyond his official portfolio. "I think it's crazy," Taylor wrote, "to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign."
Those words became critical during President Trump's first impeachment inquiry. Drawing on notes, texts, conversations, and briefings from senior officials, Taylor testified that it had become his "clear understanding" that both military aid and a coveted White House meeting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were conditioned on Ukraine publicly embracing the demanded investigations. He rejected Sondland's explanation that Trump was simply acting like a businessman who would not sign a check until the work was done, insisting Ukraine did not "owe" the president anything and that American security assistance should never be used to obtain domestic political advantage.
Born in 1947, Taylor graduated near the top of his class at the United States Military Academy before serving as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, where he earned the Bronze Star and Air Medal. After receiving a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, he devoted the remainder of his distinguished career to advancing American interests through leadership positions in NATO, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and especially Ukraine.
“President Trump did insist that President Zelenskyy go to a microphone and say he is opening investigations of Biden and 2016 election interference, and that President Zelenskyy should want to do this himself.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 12, 2024