STATEMENT FROM NATIONAL SECURITY PROFESSIONALS

September 27, 2019

As national security professionals, many of us have long been concerned with President Trump’s actions and their implications for our safety and security. Some of us have spoken out, but many of us have eschewed politics throughout our careers and, as a result, have not weighed in publicly.

The revelations of recent days, however, demand a response. Specifically, all of us recognize the imperative of formal impeachment proceedings to ascertain additional facts and weigh the consequences of what we have learned and what may yet still emerge. We applaud those Members of Congress, including Speaker Pelosi, who have now started us down that necessary path.

President Trump appears to have leveraged the authority and resources of the highest office in the land to invite additional foreign interference into our democratic processes. That would constitute an unconscionable abuse of power. It also would represent an effort to subordinate America’s national interests—and those of our closest allies and partners—to the President’s personal political interest.

Having worked across administrations of both parties to uphold and advance those national interests, we consider the President’s actions to be a profound national security concern. Our relations with the rest of the world and our policies on the global stage must be based solely on what is in the national interest. The introduction of any other considerations of the President debases our democracy, has the potential to make us more vulnerable to threats, and sends a message to leaders around the world that America’s foreign policy can be dangerously corrupted by catering to a single individual. If we fail to speak up—and act—now our foreign policy and national security will officially be on offer to those who can most effectively fulfill the President’s personal prerogatives.

To be clear, we do not wish to prejudge the totality of the facts or Congress’ deliberative process. At the same time, there is no escaping that what we already know is serious enough to merit impeachment proceedings. From there, the facts—and nothing but the facts—should dictate how Congress holds the President to account and signals to the world that our foreign policy and national security are not for sale.

LIST OF SIGNATORIES

Rumana Ahmed Daniel Baer Former Senior Advisor Ambassador to the OSCE (ret.) National Security Council State Department

Bunmi Akinnusotu Ginny Barahona Former Special Assistant Former Senior Advsior Environmental Protection Agency USAID

Brian M. Albert Mark Bartolini Former Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Former Director, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster International Affairs Assistance Department of Homeland Security USAID

Paige Alexander Christopher Barton Former Assistant Administrator Former Chief Counsel and Republican Counsel USAID House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Liz Allen Former Deputy Communications Director Toshiro Baum White House Former Advisor USAID Wa’el Alzayat Former Senior Policy Advisor Chris Beecroft State Department Former Country Director Department of Defense Michael Amato Former Communications Director Robert M. Beecroft House Armed Services Committee Ambassador (ret.) State Department John Amaya Former Deputy Chief of Staff Rand Beers Department of Homeland Security Former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Department of Homeland Security Lars Anderson Former Counselor to the Administrator Alexandra Bell FEMA Former Senior Advisor State Department Mark C. Appleton Former Assistant Coordinator for Iran Nuclear Daniel Benjamin Implementation Former Coordinator for Counterterrorism State Department State Department

Sarah Armstrong Jenna Ben-Yehuda Naval Intelligence Officer (ret.) Former Senior Military Advisor Navy State Department

Matthew S. Axelrod Ariana A. Berengaut Former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney Former Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of General State Department of Justice State Department

Alyssa Ayres Max Bergmann Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia Former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State State Department State Department

Jarrod Bernstein Graham Brookie Former Assistant Secretary Former Advisor for Strategic Communications Department of Homeland Security National Security Council

Rob Berschinski Rosa Brooks Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Former Counselor to the Undersecretary of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Defense State Department Department of Defense

Rukmani Bhatia Peter Brooks Former Special Assistant to the Assistant Captain (ret.) Administrator Marine Corps USAID Allyn Brooks-LaSure Nima Binara Former Foreign Service Officer Former Attorney-Advisor State Department Department of Justice Dolores Marie Brown John Bisognano Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Former Associate Director of Public Engagement State Department for National Security White House Kevin Brown Former Special Advisor James M. Blake State Department Former Security Professional International Rescue Committee Brett Bruen Former Director of Global Engagement Perry Blatstein National Security Council Former Directorate of Operations Targeting Officer CIA Susan F. Burk Former Special Representative of the President, Peter Boogaard Nuclear Nonproliferation Former Deputy Assistant Secretary State Department Department of Homeland Security Sharon Burke Spencer P. Boyer Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Former National Intelligence Officer for Europe Operational Energy Office of the Director of National Intelligence Department of Defense

Tanya Bradsher William J. Burns Former Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Former Deputy Secretary of State Department of Homeland Security State Department

J. Todd Breasseale Nicholas Burns Former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Homeland Security for Public Affairs State Department Department of Homeland Security Ashley Burrell Tess Bridgeman Former Staff Assistant Former Special Assistant to the President State Department National Security Council Piper Anne Wind Campbell Rebecca Brocato Ambassador (ret.) Former Special Assistant to the President for State Department Legislative Affairs White House

Dr. Michael Carpenter Brent Colburn Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Department of Defense Public Affairs Department of Defense Marsha Catron Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Beth Cole Department of Homeland Security Former Director, Office of Civil Military Cooperation Andrew Cedar USAID Former Senior Director for Global Engagement National Security Council Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson Former Advisor to the Director of the Office of Judith B. Cefin Management and Budget Ambassador (ret.) Office of Management and Budget State Department Desiree M. Cormier Christopher Centner Former Foreign Service Officer Former Intelligence Officer State Department CIA Mitchell Craft Wendy J. Chamberlin Former Speechwriter Ambassador (ret.) USAID State Department Leo Cruz Katrina Chan Former Special Assistant to the Assistant Former Protocol Officer Secretary State Department Department of the Air Force

Yam Ki Chan Melissa Dalton Former Director for Global and Asia Economics Former Senior Advisor State Department Department of Defense

Alexandra Chandler Luis C. deBaca Former Division Chief Ambassador-at-Large (ret.) Office of Naval Intelligence State Department

Ben Chang Gregory Delawie Former Director of Press and Communications Ambassador (ret.) State Department State Department

Welton Chang Geoffrey Dietz Former Intelligence Officer Former Senior Intelligence Analyst Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Intelligence Agency

Rebecca Bill Chavez Jim Dinneen Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Former Chief of Staff Western Hemisphere Affairs Department of Homeland Security Department of Defense Megan Doherty Derek Chollet Former Director for North Africa Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for National Security Council International Security Affairs Department of Defense Daniel Dolgin Former Interagency Officer Joseph Cirincione National Counterterrorism Center Former Professional Staff Member House Armed Services Committee

Joy Drucker Elisa Catalano Ewers Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Former Senior Policy Advisor State Department State Department

David A. Duckenfield James Faeh Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Former Country Director for Korea State Department Department of Defense

Richard Duke Evelyn N. Farkas Former Special Assistant to the President Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for White House Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Department of Defense Morgan Dwyer Former Analyst Sarah S. Farnsworth Department of Defense Former Senior Advisor National Security Council Paul D. Eaton Major General (ret.) Mark Feierstein Army Former Special Assistant to the President National Security Council Noah Eden Former Branch Chief Steven Feldstein National Counterterrorism Center Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Yael Eisenstat State Department Former Officer CIA Jeffrey Feltman Former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Rachel Ellehuus Affairs Former Principal Director for Europe and NATO State Department Department of Defense John W. Ficklin Adrienne Elrod Former Special Assistant to the President and Former Chief of Staff Senior Director U.S. House of Representatives National Security Council

Dianna H. English Leah Fiddler Former Director for African Affairs Former Development, Democracy and Humanitarian National Security Council Assistance National Security Council Victoria Esser Former Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Jon Finer Treasury Department Former Chief of Staff and Director of Policy Planning State Department Linda Etim Former Assistant Administrator for Africa YJ Fischer USAID Former Chief of Staff, Office of the Counselor State Department Aristotle Evia Former Advisor to the Director Andrea R. Flores Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Former Special Assistant Management Department of Homeland Security

Stephenie Foster Former Senior Advisor and Counselor State Department

Douglas Frantz Phil Gordon Former Assistant Secretary Former Special Assistant to the President and White State Department House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region Jacob Freedman National Security Council Former Chief Speechwriter Department of Defense Felice Gorordo Former Fellow Julia Frifield White House Former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Corinne Graff State Department Former Director for Democracy and Governance National Security Council Michael Fuchs Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Carl Gray East Asian and Pacific Affairs Former Protocol Analyst State Department State Department

Amy E. Gadsden Gordon Gray Former Special Advisor on China Ambassador (ret.) State Department State Department

John Gans Samuel Green Former Chief Speechwriter Former Special Assistant Department of Defense U.S. House of Representatives

Larry Garber Ryan Greer Former Deputy Assistant Administrator Former Policy Advisor USAID State Department

Bishop M. Garrison Alexander Guittard Former Advisor, Science and Technology Former Foreign Service Officer Directorate State Department Department of Homeland Security Andrew Gumbiner Jeffrey Gelman Former Press Secretary Former Senior Advisor Department of Energy State Department Heather Gutierrez Ilan Goldenberg Former Staff Officer, Office of the Executive Former Iran Team Chief Secretary Office of the Secretary of Defense National Security Council

Logan Goldstein Benjamin Haas Captain (ret.) Intelligence Officer (ret.) Army Army

Juan S. Gonzalez Nina Hachigian Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Ambassador (ret.) Hemisphere Affairs U.S. Mission to ASEAN State Department Neema Hakim Mary Beth Goodman Former Assistant Press Secretary Former Special Assistant to President for Department of Homeland Security Development and Democracy National Security Council

Morton H. Halperin Brett Holmgren Former Director, Policy Planning Staff Former Special Assistant to the President State Department National Security Council

Harry Hannah Victoria K. Holt Former Senior Analyst Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State CIA State Department

Karen Hanrahan Emily Horne Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Former Assistant Press Secretary and Director of State Department Strategic Communications National Security Council Nayyera Haq Former Senior Advisor, Public Affairs Lyndsay C. Howard State Department Former Research Assistant to the Legal Advisor to the President Marie Harf National Security Council Former Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications Qamar-ul Huda State Department Former Senior Policy Advisor State Department Alex Harman Former White House Liaison John Hughes Department of Homeland Security Former Deputy Director State Department Luke Hartig Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism Joe Hurd National Security Council Former Senior Director, Export Promotion and Trade Policy Oona Hathaway Department of Commerce Former Special Counsel to the General Counsel Department of Defense Jason Ray Hutchison Former Foreign Service Officer Caitlin Hayden State Department Former Special Assistant to the President State Department Terron Sims, II Senior Analyst Dan Herman Department of Defense Former Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Shin Inouye Department of Defense Former Press Secretary Department of Homeland Security Bruce Alan Heyman Ambassador (ret.) Rose Jackson State Department Former Chief of Staff, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Kathleen H. Hicks State Department Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Policy Southampton James Department of Defense Former Analyst State Department Jim Hock Former Chief of Staff Keren Johnson Department of Commerce Former Special Assistant USAID

Nathaniel Jones Jennifer Klein Former Director of Counterterrorism Former Deputy Advisor National Security Council State Department

Jamia Jowers Adam Keith Former Special Assistant Former Director for War Crimes and Atrocity National Security Council Prevention National Security Council Vincent H. Bish, Jr. Former Special Assistant to the Assistant Chimene Keitner Secretary Former Counselor on International Law Department of Health and Human Services State Department

James J. Townsend Jr. Frank Kendall Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, for European and NATO Policy Technology, and Logistics Department of Defense Department of Defense

Matt Kaczmarek Laura Kennedy Former White House Liaison Ambassador (ret.) State Department State Department

Erica Kaster Trevor Kincaid Former Transition Advisor Former Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative USAID Treasury Department

Brian Katulis Josh Kirshner Former Member of Policy Planning Staff Former Special Assistant for Political-Military Affairs State Department State Department

Adam Keith Jennifer Klein Former Director for War Crimes and Atrocity Former Deputy Advisor Prevention State Department National Security Council Harold Koh Chimene Keitner Former Legal Advisor Former Counselor on International Law State Department State Department Jeremy Konyndyk Laura Kennedy Former Director, Office of Foreign Disaster Ambassador (ret.) Assistance State Department USAID

Trevor Kincaid Rori Kramer Former Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Representative State Department Treasury Department Stephen Krupin Josh Kirshner Former Senior Presidential Speechwriter Former Special Assistant for Political-Military White House Affairs State Department Charles Kupchan Former Special Assistant to the President National Security Council

Jonathan S. Lachman Rory MacFarquhar Former Associate Director for National Security Former Senior Director Programs National Security Council White House Office of Management and Budget Ginette Magana Clemence Landers Former Deputy Press Secretary Former International Economist Department of Homeland Security Treasury Department Kelly Magsamen Barbara Larkin Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Former Assistant Secretary Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs State Department Department of Defense

Bri Law Robert Malley Former Legal Administrative Specialist Former White House Coordinator for the Middle Department of Justice East, North Africa and Gulf Regions National Security Council S.Y. Lee Former Spokesperson Eileen A. Malloy Department of Homeland Security Ambassador (ret.) State Department Rafael Lemaitre Former Director of Public Affairs FEMA Jeffrey Marburg-Goodman Former Special Counsel to the Administrator Benjamin Levine USAID Former Advisor for Global Economics and Finance Daniel Markey National Security Council Former Policy Planning Staff member State Department Jason Lewis-Berry Former Director, Bureau of Conflict and Susan A. Markham Stabilization Operations Former Senior Coordinator, Gender Equality and State Department Women's Empowerment USAID Dean Lieberman Former Director of Communications Charlie Martel State Department Former Counsel Senate Homeland Security and Government Frank Lowenstein Affairs Committee Former Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Kitty Bartels Di Martino State Department Former Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Keri Lowry State Department Former Deputy Assistant Secretary State Department Caroline Mauldin Former Special Assistant and Speechwriter Darien Luce State Department Former Foreign Service Officer State Department Jason Mayer Former Senior Advisor White House

Michael V. McClary Danny Meza Former Deputy Director, Office of International Former Senior Advisor Nuclear Safety and Cooperation Department of Commerce National Nuclear Security Administration James N. Miller Nancy McEldowney Former Under Secretary for Policy Ambassador (ret.) Department of Defense State Department Matthew Miller Kelly McFarland Former Director, Office of Public Affairs Foreign Affairs Analyst Department of Justice State Department Andrew Miller Dennis V. McGinn Former Director for Egypt and Israeli Military Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy Issues Department of the Navy National Security Council

Tyrik McKeiver Nick Mizaur Former Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary Former Special Advisor State Department Department of Commerce

Mike McNerney Christopher J. Le Mon Former Policy Advisor Former Special Assistant to the President Department of Defense National Security Council

Bernadette Meehan David Mortlock Former Foreign Service Officer Former Director for International Economic State Department Affairs National Security Council Ed Meier Former Senior Advisor Katrina Mulligan State Department Former Attorney Advisor Department of Justice Luis Melero Former Senior Policy Advisor Blake M Narendra Office of National Drug Control Policy Former Special Advisor, Bureau of Arms Control State Department Thomas O. Melia Former Assistant Administrator Scott Nathan USAID Former Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Daniel Melleby State Department Former Director, Cyber Response Policy Department of Defense Richard Nephew Former Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy Sarah Mendelson State Department Ambassador (ret.) U.S. Mission to the United Nations Thomas Nides Former Deputy Secretary Joel T. Meyer State Department Former Director National Security Council Mintaro Oba Former Foreign Affairs Officer, East Asian and Pacific Affairs State Department

Matthew G. Olsen Amy E. Pope Former Director Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor National Counterterrorism Center National Security Council

Ted Osius Jeffrey Prescott Ambassador (ret.) Former Special Assistant to the President and State Department Senior Director National Security Council Connor O'Steen Former Foreign Service Officer Ned Price State Department Former Senior Director and Spokesperson National Security Council Maria Otero Former Under Secretary of State for Civilian Jennifer Rene Psaki Security, Democracy and Human Rights State Department Spokesperson State Department State Department

Andrew Overton Sameer Punyani Former Spokesperson and Deputy Head of Fromer Afghanistan Country Director Communications Department of Defense British Embassy Dafna Rand Debra Perlin Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Former Justice Advisor State Department State Department Ben Rhodes Annie Pforzheimer Former Deputy National Security Advisor Former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Security Council Afghanistan State Department Christopher E. Rich Former Foreign Service Officer Macon Phillips State Department Former Coordinator of International Information Programs Karen E. Richardson State Department Former Deputy Assistant Secretary State Department Rusty D. Pickens Former Senior Advisor for Digital Platforms Angelique Roberts State Department Former Director for Threat Finance White House Tony Pipa Former Chief Strategy Officer Cynthia Romero USAID Former Strategic Communications Advisor USAID Joshua Polacheck Former Foreign Service Officer Eric Rosand State Department Former Senior Advisor State Department Stephen Pomper Former Special Assistant to the President Deborah Rosenblum National Security Council Former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics Richard Ponzio Department of Defense Former Senior Advisor, Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan State Department

Jeremy Rosner Nick Shapiro Former Counselor and Senior Director Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor National Security Council to the Director CIA Soledad Roybal Former Senior Advisor on Technology Policy Daniel Shapiro State Department Ambassador (ret.) State Department Edna Z. Ruano Former Director, Public Affairs and John Shattuck Communications Ambassador (ret.) State Department State Department

Joel Rubin Wendy Sherman Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Former Under Secretary of State for Political Legislative Affairs Affairs State Department State Department

Josh Rubin Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Former Special Assistant, Office of the Secretary Former Deputy Secretary of State Department of Energy State Department Annie Shiel Peter Rundlet Former Senior Security and Human Rights Policy Former Deputy Assistant to the President Analyst White House State Department

Patrick Ryan Dilpreet Sidhu Intelligence Officer (ret.) Former Special Assistant to the National Army Security Adviser National Security Council Julia Santucci Former Leadership Analyst Mark Simakovsky CIA Former Chief of Staff, Europe and NATO Policy Department of Defense Jonathan Scanlon Former Foreign Affairs Officer John Sipher State Department Former Station Chief CIA Beth Van Schaack Former Deputy Ambassador-at-Large for War Amanda Sloat Crimes Issues Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southern State Department Europe and Eastern Meditarranean Affairs State Department Loren DeJonge Schulman Former Senior Advisor to the National Security Julianne Smith Adviser Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the National Security Council Vice President White House Samuel Schumach Former Press Secretary Dana Shell Smith Office of Personnel Management Ambassador (ret.) State Department Stephen A. Seche Ambassador (ret.) Douglas A. Smith State Department Former Assistant Secretary Department of Homeland Security

Nate Snyder Bart Szewczyk Former Senior Counterterrorism Official Former Member, Policy Planning Staff Department of Homeland Security State Department

Halie Soifer Terence Szuplat Former Senior Policy Advisor Former Special Assistant to the President U.S. Mission to the United Nations National Security Council

Jon Soltz Stephen Tankel Major (ret.) Former Senior Advisor for Asian and Pacific Army Security Affairs Department of Defense Jared Stancombe Former Management and Program Analyst Jordan Thomas Department of Homeland Security Formerly Legislative Affairs Department of Labor Todd Stern Former Special Envoy for Climate Change Colin Thomas-Jensen State Department Former Senior Policy Advisor U.S. Mission to the United Nations Scott Stern Former Chief of Targeting Unit Shawn Turner CIA Former Director of Communication for National Intelligence Jonathan Stevenson ODNI Former Director for Political-Military Affairs, Middle East and North Africa William Tuttle National Security Council Former Director for Turkish, Greek and Cypriot Affairs Jacob Stokes National Security Council Former Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor Noam Unger White House Former Director, Office of Policy USAID Jeremy R. Strozer Former Foreign Affairs Officer Lauren Vargas State Department Former Special Assistant, Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Philip Stupak Logistics Former Senior Advisor Department of Defense Department of Homeland Security Peter Vincent Arsalan Suleman Former Principal Legal Advisor and Acting Former Acting Special Envoy Director of International Affairs State Department Department of Homeland Security

Jake Sullivan Samantha Vinograd Former National Security Advisor to the Vice Former Senior Advisor to the National Security President Advisor White House National Security Council

Mona Surphen Rachel Vogelstein Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Former Director of Policy, Secretary's Office of White House Global Women's Issues State Department

David E. Wade Jonathan M. Winer Former Chief of Staff Former U.S. Special Envoy for Libya State Department State Department

Alex Wagner William M. Wise Former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Department of Defense Vice President White House Laurie A. Watkins Former Special Assistant Tamara Cofman Wittes Department of Defense Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Daniel Watson State Department Former Associate Director of Public Affairs FEMA Albert Wolf Former Legislative Assistant Regina Waugh U.S. House of Representatives Former Director for Human Rights and Gender National Security Council Jon Wolfsthal Former Senior Director and Special Assistant to Lynne Weil the President Former Senior Advisor White House State Department Thomas Wyler Thomas West Former Counselor and Senior Advisor for Former Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan International Economics National Security Council Department of Commerce

Moira Whelan Sarah Yerkes Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Former Member, Policy Planning Staff Affairs State Department State Department Thomas Zimmerman Joshua White Former Special Assistant to the National Former Chief, Human Rights and Corruption Security Advisor Targeting National Security Council Treasury Department

Nicole Wilett Former Director for African Affairs National Security Council

Mark S. Wilkins Former Director, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies Department of Defense

Joel Willett Former Directorate of Operations CIA

Doug Wilson Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Department of Defense