Latest in State Department
In the wake of Qassem Soleimani’s death, the global threat posed by Iran and its proxies to Americans creates a somewhat novel challenge for the Diplomatic Security Service, the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of State.
Former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified before the House Intelligence Committee as a part of the impeachment investigation. Yovanovitch answered questions about her career, her experience in Ukraine and her abrupt dismissal. The hearing saw some of the same grandstanding and distractions as the first public hearing, But we cut out all the unnecessary repetition and theatrics to leave you with just the questions and answers that you need to hear.
The House committees tasked with conducting the impeachment inquiry have released new transcripts from the closed-door depositions witnesses in the inquiry. Today, Nov. 11, the committees released the transcripts of the testimony given by Gordon Sondland, U.S.
The more information becomes public about L’Affaire Ukrainienne, the wider and deeper the controversy becomes. Late on Oct. 3, Congress released perhaps the most damning information yet: excerpts from a trove of encrypted text messages provided by former Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker as part of his closed testimony earlier that day before those House committees leading the impeachment inquiry.
The chairmen of the three House committees—Oversight and Reform, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence—issued a subpeona to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to produce documents related to the Trump administration's interractions with officials associated with the Ukrainian government.
In the nearly two decades since 9/11, the United States has increasingly relied on security assistance programs to train, advise and equip foreign military and police forces in an effort to fight threats before they reach the United States.
Recent tensions between the United States and Iran have led many members of Congress to speculate about what legal authority the Trump administration may claim it has to go to war without congressional authorization. On June 28, the State Department gave a partial answer to these questions, at least insofar as they relate to the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs).
Mea Culpa: It’s all my fault.
On Wednesday, press outlets reported that the chief of protocol of the State Department, Ambassador Sean Lawler, has been “suspended indefinitely” pending the conclusion of an investigation into his conduct. Lawler reportedly plans on resigning from his post.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent the following letter and proposal to House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, including a proposal for a Bureau for Cyberspace and the Digital Economy within the State Department.
Editor's Note: The discussion of section 7(b) of the Jerusalem Embassy Act has been revised since original publication.