“I was disturbed by the implication that foreign governments were being approached to procure negative information on political opponents,” McKinley said, according to portions of his testimony obtained by The Washington Post. “I was convinced that this would also have a serious impact on Foreign Service morale and the integrity of our work overseas.”
The remarks represent a significant rebuke of Trump’s dealings in Ukraine, from a senior official who worked closely with Pompeo and served as a link between the top diplomat and the rest of the Foreign Service. Trump has denied that he withheld diplomatic engagement and military assistance to Ukraine in order to pressure the country into investigating former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who worked for a Ukrainian energy company.