Former United States ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch ’80 testified in front of House committees on Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Reform on Oct. 11, denying claims that she was “disloyal to President Trump.” She also rejected the allegation that she had told the Embassy team to disregard Trump’s orders “since he was going to be impeached.”
Her testimony lasted over nine hours as part of the impeachment inquiry against Trump and was ordered by a subpoena after Democrats suspected that the State Department and the White House directed her not to testify voluntarily.
“This is the latest example of the Administration’s efforts to conceal the facts from the American people and obstruct our lawful and constitutionally-authorized impeachment inquiry,” the Intelligence Committee wrote in an Oct. 11 statement. “Any efforts by Trump Administration officials to prevent witness cooperation with the Committees will be deemed obstruction of a co-equal branch of government and an adverse inference may be drawn against the President on the underlying allegations of corruption and coverup.”
Yovanovitch described her time as ambassador to Ukraine and said she was concerned by her early recall by Trump on May 20. Trump removed her from the position three months early, following complaints from his personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani and other allies that she was obstructing their efforts to convince the Ukranian president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
Yovanovitch also said that she has had “minimal contacts” with Giuliani and does not know his “motives for attacking [her].”
“Although I understand that I served at the pleasure of the President, I was nevertheless incredulous that the U.S. government chose to remove an Ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives,” she said, speaking generally of her service.
In response to accusations by former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutensko of spreading a “do not prosecute” list, Yovanovitch stated, “I have never myself or through others, directly or indirectly, ever directed, suggested, or in any other way asked for any government or government official in Ukraine or elsewhere to refrain from investigating or prosecuting actual corruption.”
Yovanovitch is seen as a key player in the impeachment proceedings, and a packet distributed within the Trump administration containing misinformation about her caused concern for many Representatives. She testified against the allegations that she aided in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and denied knowing Hunter Biden.
Yovanovitch has served as a Foreign Service Officer for the past 33 years across six presidential administrations, four of which were Republican and two Democrat. She defended her career and her commitment to the office and service to the United States.
“Throughout my career, I have stayed true to the oath that Foreign Service Officers take and observe every day: ‘that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;’ and ‘that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,’” she said. “Like all foreign service officers with whom I have been privileged to serve, I have understood that oath as a commitment to serve on a strictly nonpartisan basis, to advance the foreign policy determined by the incumbent President, and to work at all times to strengthen our national security and promote our national interests.”
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Giuliani’s associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who Yovanovitch claimed were working against her, have been subpoenaed and will testify soon. Trump’s former top advisor on Russia Fiona Hall and State Department officials George Kent and T. Ulrich Brechbuhl will also testify.
Yovanovitch ended her testimony describing her fears for the future of the nation.
“Today, we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within,” she said. “State Department leadership, with Congress, needs to take action now to defend this great institution, and its thousands of loyal and effective employees. We need to rebuild diplomacy as the first resort to advance America’s interests and the front line of America’s defense.”
Neither Yovanovitch nor the State Department responded to requests for comment.
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