Ousted U.S.-Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch spoke before the American people on Friday – and said she went to Ukraine to help that nation become more stable.
Testifying in the latest public impeachment hearing in the House, Yovanovitch said it’s important for Ukraine to "move out of Russia's orbit” and added that Russian influences have fueled considerable corruption in Ukraine.
Yovanovitch was recalled after running afoul of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was conducting unofficial diplomacy in Ukraine. Giuliani was pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democrats and ultimately appears to have engaged in a smear campaign of sorts, which had President Trump saying some unflattering things himself.
While President Trump has recently claimed he “doesn't really know” Yovanovitch, has caught up According to the summary of his July call with Ukraine’s leader, it was Trump who referenced Yovanovitch on the July call, describing her “bad news” and saying she was “going to go through some things.” He's continued with the theme over the weekend, speaking negatively about Yovanovitch on Twitter.
The next hearings are set for tomorrow. Scheduled to testify are Jennifer Williams (a State Department official advising Vice President Mike Pence) and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (a National Security Council staffer), Kurt Volker (the former US special representative to Ukraine) and Tim Morrison (a National Security Council staffer). Trump also took to Twitter over the weekend with some choice words about Williams...who he's describing as a "never Trumper."
Then on Wednesday, Gordon Sondland, the US Ambassador to the EU will testify in the morning. In the afternoon, Defense Department official Laura Cooper and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.
On Thursday, former National Security Council staffer Fiona Hill is scheduled to testify.
Source: C-SPAN
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