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- Richard Grenell made a special threat to Fiona Hill, she writes in her book.
- Hill says Grenell, then Trump’s ambassador to Germany, threatened to fire her through Don Jr.
- A call to Don Jr. would have “tweeted” Hill and a colleague, she wrote.
Former President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Germany threatened to call his son to have Fiona Hill “tweet sacked,” Hill writes in her new book.
Hill, who served as Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council prior to her departure in July 2019, says she was so taken aback by Ambassador Richard Grenell’s call that she ” had to write and report in detail “What was said.
“He went on to accuse my office of leaking information to the press,” Hill wrote. “Then he threatened to call Donald Trump Jr., a close friend of his, to have a colleague and I ‘tweet fired.”
In his memoir, “There’s Nothing For You Here: Finding an Opportunity in the 21st Century,” Hill illustrates the encounter as one of many instances where Trump and key figures in his administration have pursued foreign policy outside the United States. normal channels in order to strengthen their own personal interests.
Grenell, as well as Gordon Sondland – the former US Ambassador to the European Union who later became a key witness to Trump’s first impeachment saga – “directed US policy from Brussels and Berlin, respectively” , she writes.
“They were following his explicit instructions, they said,” Hill continued. “They weren’t inspired by the State Department. They were Trump’s staff plenipotentiaries. “
Under normal circumstances, a plenipotentiary is a diplomat authorized with full powers to sign treaties on behalf of their respective nation. Under Trump, Hill says that Sondland and Grenell “have always referred to Trump’s name or those of his family members when pulling a rank,” leading to what she describes as conflict of interest and a chaotic execution of foreign policy.
“Given Grenell’s poor opinion of me and my colleague, I first wondered why he bothered to call me. But it was quite clear that Grenell was just pissed off that his personal agenda was brought to light and that it wasn’t immediately getting its own … way, “Hill writes.
“President Trump’s personalization of the presidency and his uncompromising and uncompromising demeanor have been emulated by many around him in the MAGA world,” she continues.
Grenell’s tenure as US Ambassador to Germany has been tumultuous from the start.
In May 2018, Grenell drew criticism after appearing to threaten German companies operating in Iran following Trump’s controversial decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Two months later, Grenell sparked an international incident when he told far-right media outlet Breitbart that he intended to “hold” conservatives in Europe to account.
“I absolutely want to empower other conservatives across Europe, other leaders,” Grenell told Breitbart. “I think there is a wave of conservative policies taking hold because of the failure of the policies of the left.”
The then-German Foreign Ministry demanded that Grenell clarify his comments, and German politicians accused him of violating diplomatic protocol. Diplomats are not expected to engage in partisan politics or interfere in the internal affairs of the countries in which they are stationed, and are generally expected to serve as politically neutral representatives of their home country.
After serving as U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Grenell became Trump’s acting director of national intelligence.
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