Trump goes after witness in ‘intimidating’ attack
AS TRUMP ATTACKS YOVANOVITCH, SCHIFF WARNS OF ‘WITNESS INTIMIDATION’
As former Ukraine envoy sounded alarm about the denigration of US diplomacy in her testimony, president fires off his criticism on Twitter
The fired US ambassador to Ukraine sounded an alarm yesterday about the denigration of American diplomacy and the hollowing out of the State Department under President Donald Trump as she recounted how she became an early casualty of the behindthe-scenes negotiations that led to the impeachment inquiry.
In often steely, defiant tones, Marie Yovanovitch told House investigators that the failure of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other senior officials to publicly defend her and other career diplomats from political attacks by Trump and his supporters has contributed to severe demoralisation in the State Department.
“I remain disappointed that the department’s leadership and others have declined to acknowledge that the attacks against me and others are dangerously wrong,’’ Yovanovitch told Congress. “This is about far more than me or a couple of individuals. As Foreign Service professionals are being denigrated and undermined, the institution is also being degraded.’’
Her testimony, which also included a defence of the role of American diplomats, put a public face on deep dissatisfaction in the department under Trump. His administration has slashed the department’s budget, left many important posts open for extended periods and often disdained the work of the foreign service.
Impact on the institution
The Ukraine affair has only added to the problems, she said.
“The crisis has moved from the impact on individuals to an impact on the institution. The State Department is being hollowed out from within at a competitive and complex time on the world stage.’’
As Yovanovitch was testifying yesterday, Trump launched a new Twitter attack on her, blaming her for crises in countries where she had previously served. “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad,’’ Trump said. “She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavourably about her in my second phone call with him.’
Democrats said Trump’s attack amounted to witness intimidation. They say her removal was aimed at clearing the way for Trump allies to persuade Ukraine to launch corruption investigations into Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.
In the most dramatic moment of the impeachment hearings that began on Wednesday, Adam Schiff, the Democrat chairing the hearing in the House Intelligence Committee, asked Yovanovitch for her reaction to the tweet. She said it was “very intimidating.”
“I can’t speak to what the president is trying to do, but I think the effect is to be intimidating,” she said.
Schiff replied: “Well, I want to let you know, ambassador, that some of us here take witness intimidation very, very seriously.”