Trump impeachment news: Ambassador gets standing ovation for her testimony after 'intimidation' attempt by president
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Your support makes all the difference.As ex-Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch has testified before the House impeachment inquiry, just after the White House has released its transcript of the first call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, seemingly an attempt to distract from the veteran diplomat's potentially explosive deposition.
Speaking in Louisiana last night, the president complained the inquiry has been “very hard” on his family as he took to the stage to muster support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone, the plea for sympathy a marked change of tactic.
As security experts warn Mr Trump’s 26 July phone call with Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the EU, could have been picked up by Russian spies, the president is planning to take the battle to withhold his tax returns from investigators to the Supreme Court.
The Friday testimony proved to be an exciting one, with Mr Trump live tweeting the exchange until being called out directly by Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
In doing so, Mr Schiff was able to check in with Ms Yovanovitch in real time, and hear from her that she believed his comments to be aimed at intimidation.
Many have now said that Mr Trump's attack may amount to witness tampering — which could add to the articles of impeachment facing the president.
Ms Yovanovitch also described publicly a conspiracy led by Rudy Giuliani to get her removed from her post as ambassador — which she said she did not understand the purpose of, since the president could have simply fired her if he wanted.
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"I think it has had exactly that, a chilling effect," she says of the impact of her firing on the US diplomatic corps abroad.
"People don't know whether their efforts to pursue our stated policies are going to be supported and that is a dangerous place to be."
"Because our work is essentially not partisan," Ms Yovanovitch says of her effort to be non-partisan in her work as an American diplomat.
"At the end of the day when we are dealing with other countries it needs to be about what is right for the United States."
Statement from White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham — “The tweet was not witness intimidation, it was simply the president’s opinion, which he is entitled to. This is not a trial, it is a partisan political process—or to put it more accurately, a totally illegitimate, charade stacked against the President. There is less due process in this hearing than any such event in the history of our country. It’s a true disgrace.”
Ms Yovanovitch says that is important that "we all speak with one voice" and that US policy should not be about "personal gain".
Ms Yovanovitch says that there is an established process for weeding out corruption in other countries.
Republicans are testifying that it is "appropriate" to investigate corruption, regardless of process.
Elise Stefanik is, right now, reading off a series of headlines in which she notes that it has been reported that Adam Schiff has previously promised to allow the testimony of the whistleblower.
"In this case the fact that we have been getting criticized... shows the duplicity and just the abuse of power we are continuing to see," she says of the refusal by Democrats to bring in the whistleblower.
Jim Jordan is now wondering aloud why Donald Trump and his allies would remove Ms Yovanovitch only to bring in William Taylor, who he notes is now a lead witness for Democrats.
Eric Swalwell is bringing up the "disgusting" tweet from the president this morning
"Are the president's smears going to stop you from fighting corruption?" he asks.
"Well, I will continue with my work," she responded. Then said she would fight corruption again if asked, in spite of the attacks on her character from the president.
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