Once the permanent ruling class gets established in Washington, D.C., they rule The Swamp and never, ever leave. With Trump now certified, the Deep State is moving to protect as many of its assets as possible. Case in point: Laura Cooper, a member of the D.C. permanent administration and the ghost of Impeachment 1.0, has a cozy new job. She will be ensconced at National Defense University. Snug as a bug in a rug, waiting to be brought back to the next Administration.

Who the heck is Laura Cooper and why is she the Ghost of Impeachment 1.0? This was, seemingly, about eight million news cycles ago. The first Impeachment Trial of President Donald Trump was about his “perfect phone call” on July 25, 2019 with the newly elected President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Told you that was eight million news cycles ago. The D.C. permanent class had had it with interloper Trump. Remember Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman? We didn’t pay attention to Laura Cooper then. Here is how CNN captured her position in this play:

Pentagon officials receive an email indicating the Ukrainian government was worried about the status of US military support. Pentagon official Laura Cooper told Congress that the email “said that the Ukrainian embassy and House Foreign Affairs Committee are asking about security assistance.” (By then, Trump put the aid on hold, but there is no evidence that it was mentioned during the Zelensky call.)

Cooper testimony to Congress:
“Members of my staff read the testimony and have come to me since then and provided additional information. Specifically, on the issue of Ukraine’s knowledge of the hold or of Ukraine asking questions about possible issues with the flow of assistance, my staff showed me two unclassified emails that they received from the State Department. One was received on July 25th at 2:31 PM. That email said that the Ukrainian embassy and House Foreign Affairs Committee are asking about security assistance.”

Here is her opening statement to the Schiff Impeachment Group:

In her opening statement of the November 20, 2019 Impeachment, Miss Cooper informed the House Committee that she had been with the Department of Defense for 18 years. Can you say Permanent Ruling Class? Politico had the story that Cooper is moving on last night:

A key player in coordinating U.S. military aid and marshaling international support for Ukraine has left the Pentagon just days before DONALD TRUMP takes the White House and puts its own imprint on the war.

LAURA COOPER, a career civil servant who led the Russia and Ukraine office since the first Trump administration, stepped down from her post just after the new year, according to one former and three current officials, as our own PAUL MCLEARY and your lead NatSec Daily author report (for Pros!).

Cooper, who spent more than two decades at the Pentagon, is probably best known for testifying to Congress over the objections of department leadership as part of Trump’s Ukraine-related impeachment trial. The Defense Department didn’t say why Cooper left, but given her testimony and the uncertainty over Ukraine policy, the Pentagon might have proven an uncomfortable place for her under the new president.

Might be uncomfortable? Yes. How dare any President, especially a barbarian like Trump, try to dictate foreign policy. Of course, that old thinking and lack of imagination is what got us here. I love this next bit:

Her departure reflects a growing sense of anxiety within the Defense Department over the incoming administration and how it plans to treat the ranks of career civil servants and military flag officers, particularly amid expectations Trump will downsize the federal workforce.

Bwa ha ha!

Fire them all, @PeteHegseth.

Take command and command.

cc @JimHansonDC https://t.co/0E8eMGBSPI pic.twitter.com/MknGrl9uom

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) November 27, 2024

Never forget that the Ghost of Impeachment 1.0 also wanted to send “controversial cluster munitions” to Ukraine:

Ukraine has said the weapons would help in its counteroffensive against Russian troops by allowing its forces to effectively target entrenched Russian positions and to overcome its disadvantage in manpower and artillery.

The United States had demurred for months, citing concerns about the weapons’ use and saying they were not necessary. But in recent weeks, U.S. officials began signaling a shift from that stance. Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, told U.S. lawmakers late last month that the Pentagon had determined that cluster munitions would be useful for Ukraine, “especially against dug-in Russian positions on the battlefield.”

She’s not going to be on the battlefield, ever, so what does Miss Cooper care about cluster munitions? But, don’t worry about dear Laura. She’s not going too far. From Politico again:

She is heading to a teaching position at the National Defense University in Washington and could not be reached for comment.

From Wikipedia:

The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense aimed at facilitating high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As a chairman’s Controlled Activity, NDU operates under the guidance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), with Vice Admiral Peter Garvin, USN as president. It is located on the grounds of Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.,[1] near the White House and the US Congress.

So she will be there teaching thinking just like hers and in a nice cozy teaching position near the halls of power. When a Democrat is in the White House again, now that she has burned her Republican sources, she’ll be ready to go.

And, that is how Washington, D.C. works.

Featured Image: Monika King/U.S. Army/Wikimedia Commons.org/cropped/Public Domain