President Trump has nominated Keith W. Dayton, a retired lieutenant general in the Army, to serve as his ambassador to Ukraine, a sensitive post after the impeachment saga that roiled his presidency at the end of last year.
Lt. Gen. Dayton is the director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany. He previously served in various roles in the Army and government, including as defense attaché in the U.S. embassy in Russia.
The current ambassador, Joseph Pennington, is serving in an acting capacity in Kyiv.
The posting made headlines last year, as House Democrat investigated and impeached Mr. Trump last year over his dealings with Ukraine. They alleged he withheld critical U.S. aid to the Eastern European country, as it fought with Russia, in pursuit of dirt on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, his likely 2020 election foe.
The ambassador to Ukraine at the time, Marie Yovanovitch, was abruptly recalled amid claims she wasn’t loyal to the president.
She testified to Congress about a smear campaign against her by Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and his associates. During her remarks, Mr. Trump tweeted: “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.”
Previously, the president slammed her to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a famous July 25 phone call. Mr. Trump said she was “bad news” and “going to go through some things.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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