President Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker has stepped down from his post, days after revelations that Trump had pressed Ukraine’s government to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden.
An Arizona State University (ASU) official confirmed to The State Press, the student newspaper at ASU, that Volker had resigned, saying Volker met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday to announce his departure from the administration.
Volker has served as executive director of the McCain Institute, which is part of ASU. The official said the university could not speak to his future at the institute, saying the university does not comment on personnel matters.{mosads}
Volker was appointed U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations in July 2017 while leading the D.C.-based McCain Institute, which aims to make a difference in people’s lives in the areas of “leadership development, human rights, rule of law, international security and combatting human trafficking,” according to its website.
News of Volker’s resignation from the administration was later confirmed by multiple media outlets, including The New York Times. The Hill has reached out to the McCain Institute and the State Department for comment.
Volker was mentioned in a whistleblower complaint released this week that alleged that Trump had attempted to use his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for personal gain. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
The whistleblower alleged that Volker visited Kiev with U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and met with Zelensky and other political figures the day after the call and that readouts indicated they did so to “navigate” demands made by Trump.
House Democrats announced Friday that they had scheduled a deposition for Volker in October.