[8] His college yearbook describes him as a "hardworking and disciplined" student, a member of the Chapel Choir, Scoutmaster's Council, French Club, and the Lacrosse team.

[5] Brechbuhl joined Pompeo and two other college friends in founding Thayer Aerospace, which was partly funded by Wichita's Koch Venture Capital, Cardinal Investment Co. and Bain & Co.

In his role as Counselor, Brechbuhl was chartered with offering strategic guidance on foreign policy, enhancing U.S. diplomacy and conducting "special diplomatic assignments as directed by the Secretary".

He was delegated "sweeping control over the nomination process, drawing up lists of candidates for jobs and purging those" likely to face too much opposition from the White House or Senate.

The left hand will understand the right hand.”[15] In October 2019 Brechbuhl led a U.S. delegation to Greenland and Denmark that included officials from the United States National Security Council and the Pentagon with the purpose of discussing “areas of current and future cooperation”.

State Department officials did note whether the trip would address President Donald Trump's earlier interest in the U.S. buying Greenland and the response of Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that the idea was "absurd."

The U.S. has a longstanding defense agreement with Denmark giving the U.S. almost unlimited rights in Greenland at Thule Air Base, the US Armed Forces' northernmost installation.

In the meantime, a separate department, United States Office of Special Counsel, with jurisdiction over personnel matters throughout the executive branch, is undertaking its own review of the situation in question.

[24] On October 2, 2019, Steve Linick, the State Department's inspector general, delivered a 40-page packet of apparent disinformation regarding former Vice President Joe Biden and former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, to Capitol Hill.

"[26] Philip Reeker, acting Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, also alerted Brechbuhl to the unfounded smear campaign surrounding Marie Yovanovitch.

[27] In his public testimony on November 20, 2019 Gordon Sondland noted in his opening statement that United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, then U.S.