In this Tuesday, July 10, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump is joined by Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP
President Donald Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Joe and Hunter Biden may be the biggest names in the expanding Ukraine scandal and impeachment inquiry, but plenty of lesser-known players inside and outside government are involved.
Here are some of those key players — and why they matter:
Marie Yovanovitch
Andriy Yermak
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman
Parnas and Fruman are Soviet-born, Florida-based businessmen associated with Giuliani. Parnas and Fruman were arrested this month on charges of campaign finance law violations. Both men allegedly funneled foreign money through shell companies to donate to political committees. The businessmen, who were carrying one-way plane tickets out of the country when they were arrested at a D.C.-area airport, were also involved in the effort in Ukraine to spur an investigation into the Bidens, according to Giuliani.
Fiona Hill
Kurt Volker
Gordon Sondland
Bill Taylor
Taylor, who has served as the acting ambassador to Ukraine following the ouster of Yovanovitch, previously was ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009. Taylor expressed concern to Sondland that Trump was engaging in a “quid pro quo” with Ukraine for personal political gain. Sondland explicitly denied any appearance of a “quid pro quo.” Taylor has left Ukraine and is expected to testify to Congress on Tuesday.
George Kent
Michael McKinley
McKinley was a career official within the State Department who resigned on Oct. 10 from his position as senior advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. McKinley was brought on by Pompeo to help restore morale following Rex Tillerson’s ouster as secretary of State, who was widely unpopular within the department. However, McKinley told members of Congress on Wednesday that he resigned due to the State Department’s reluctance to defend career officials from political attacks.
Laura Cooper
Cooper serves as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense, where she specializes in Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian policy. Cooper is scheduled to appear Friday for a closed door deposition in front of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees, where she will be the first witness called from the Pentagon. We’ll learn more about her importance in the matter after she testifies.
