In an extraordinary moment during the impeachment hearings, the ousted Ukraine ambassador was asked to respond in real time to a Twitter broadside from President Donald Trump in which he accused her without evidence of causing destruction during her diplomatic tours.
“I actually think that where I’ve served over the years, I and others have demonstrably made things better, you know, for the U.S. as well as for the countries that I’ve served in,” Marie Yovanovitch said when Trump’s tweets were read out loud during Friday’s impeachment hearing.
It was an attack House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff called “witness intimidation.”
Asked what her reaction was when she read the record of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Yovanovitch testified that she was “shocked, absolutely shocked, and devastated, frankly.”
“I was shocked and devastated that I would feature in a phone call between two heads of state in such a manner, where President Trump said I was ‘bad news’ to another world leader, and that I would ‘be going through some things.’ It was a terrible moment. A person who saw me reading the transcript said the color drained from my face. Even now, words kind of fail me.”
Yovanovitch repeated what she said in her closed-door deposition about feeling threatened by Trump’s comment that she would be “going through some things.”
“I didn’t know what to think but I was very concerned,” Yovanovitch said. “It didn’t sound good. It sounded like a threat. I did [feel threatened].”
……..
- Discussion
-
In an extraordinary moment during the impeachment hearings, the ousted former Ukraine ambassador was asked to respond in real time to a Twitter broadside from President Donald Trump. https://t.co/V0zdgN1t0v
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
Asked what her reaction was when she read the record of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Yovanovitch testified that she was “shocked, absolutely shocked, and devastated, frankly.” https://t.co/V0zdgN1t0v pic.twitter.com/Ev1V4j7jn8
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
Yovanovitch says there was a concern that if State/Pompeo issued a statement supporting her, “the president might issue a tweet contradicting” it.
Trump, 23 minutes ago: https://t.co/IkoLvrHTYh
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) November 15, 2019
Marie Yovanovitch was recalled from Kyiv early amid a smear campaign waged by Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his allies accusing her of disloyalty to the White House https://t.co/V0zdgN1t0v pic.twitter.com/MjgPO44IjJ
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
TRUMP slams Yovanovitch while she testifies — even as she's been defended by his current ambassador to Ukraine and other senior aides serving in his state department and NSC. https://t.co/nEh35j6wXH
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) November 15, 2019
The second day of public impeachment hearings is underway. Here are Chairman Adam Schiff's opening remarks 👇 https://t.co/pn3vmCfLLn
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
Rep. Devin Nunes read the entire summary of President Trump's first call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky aloud as part of his opening statement https://t.co/V0zdgN1t0v pic.twitter.com/I2tzr3Ng0S
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
Here's Marie Yovanovitch's opening statement at today's impeachment hearings 👇 https://t.co/wTJliMGc1d
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
*raises hand* https://t.co/zNYKrex0Rb
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 15, 2019
On Fox News, Ken Starr says this about Trump's tweet:
“Extraordinarily poor judgment. … I think this was quite injurious.”
— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) November 15, 2019
Marie Yovanovitch: "How is it that foreign corrupt interests can manipulate our government?" #ImpeachmentHearings https://t.co/rsldQDEoQU pic.twitter.com/LGy7jVT4jj
— The Hill (@thehill) November 15, 2019
Marie Yovanovitch: "The allegation that I disseminated a do not prosecute list was a fabrication." #ImpeachmentHearings https://t.co/rsldQDEoQU pic.twitter.com/69mwbFD4A1
— The Hill (@thehill) November 15, 2019
Yovanovitch Opening Statement by acohnthehill on Scribd
Jarring anecdote by Yovanovitch that may have been overlooked: She was recalled from Kyiv—largely, she & others believe, because of her anti-corruption efforts—while in the middle of hosting an event honoring the anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handziuk. https://t.co/CQDw5Qs8Va pic.twitter.com/CxkV4PplOZ
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) November 15, 2019
Ken Starr on Fox News: “The president was not advised by counsel in deciding to do this tweet. Extraordinarily poor judgment… Obviously this was quite injurious.”
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) November 15, 2019
Literally all I do as an attorney:
No.
No.
Seriously, no.
Like, how did you even think this was a good idea.
Stop immediately.
No, that doesn't make it okay, either.
No.
Stop.
Stop it, you can’t do that.
No.— FP (@FaciePrima) November 14, 2019
Imagine a world where a single ambassador could fix Somalia’s problems. https://t.co/GJqXkhtyNS
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) November 15, 2019
Marie Yovanovitch: "I do not understand Mr. Giuliani's motives for attacking me." #ImpeachmentHearings https://t.co/rsldQDEoQU pic.twitter.com/lvzvLZaiJw
— The Hill (@thehill) November 15, 2019
Dems asked Marie Yovanovitch about Ukraine's involvement in the 2016 election https://t.co/m6257h3gE3 pic.twitter.com/KM3N61hycz
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
Marie Yovanovitch gets candid about her firing https://t.co/V0zdgNj3S3 pic.twitter.com/5y9fIyGlO3
— POLITICO (@politico) November 15, 2019
The crowd in the public seating — as well as some Democrats — stood up and clapped and cheered for ambassador Yovanovitch after Schiff announced the end of the 2nd public hearing. pic.twitter.com/VtbqlOOls5
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 15, 2019
Smooth move by Elise Stefanik to remind everyone that Yovanovich is still a government employee, and therefore the president’s tweets at her are clear intimidation.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 15, 2019
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.