Diplomat testifies Trump's wish to buy Greenland 'took up a lot of energy' during Ukraine calamity

Greenland.
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

President Trump's baffling desire to buy Greenland got in the way of actual important work, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor revealed during congressional testimony last month.

A transcript of Taylor's testimony to House impeachment investigators was made public on Wednesday. In his deposition, Taylor described what it was like in the weeks after Trump decided in mid-July to put a hold on military aid to Ukraine. In August, Cabinet members and top national security officials were desperate to hold a meeting with Trump about the matter, Taylor said, because Ukraine needed the money to fight off Russian military aggression.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.