Trump turning America into a ‘third-world nation’ through ‘trickery, deception and arrogance’: Retired general

Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey on Wednesday unloaded on President Donald Trump after ambassador Bill Taylor delivered devastating testimony this week that accused the president of withholding military aid from Ukraine until the country agreed to investigate his political opponents.

Writing on Twitter, McCaffrey expressed astonishment at the way the president has abused the tools of international diplomacy to help him win re-election in 2020.

"The Trump White House backed by [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo acts like a third world nation," he said. "Incredible trickery, deception, and arrogance mugging the Ukrainians. Withholding Congressional approved military funds for domestic political purposes was chilling."

In his opening statement, Taylor described how the European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland told Ukrainian officials that the president wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to publicly announce during a CNN interview that he would be launching investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who had taken a position on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.