Envoy in Kiev told to tweet for Donald Trump or lose job

Former US envoy to Ukraine says she was urged to “tweet out” her support of Donald Trump to save her job.

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch (C) flanked by lawyers, aides and Capitol police, leaves the US Capitol after testifying behind closed doors. Picture: AFP)

The former US ambassador to Ukraine was urged to “tweet out” her support of President Trump to save her job after coming under attack from his son Donald Jr and his personal lawyer.

Marie Yovanovitch was advised by Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU and a Trump donor, to “go big or go home … you know, tweet out there that you support the president”, she told a private congressional hearing on impeachment of the president.

Ms Yovanovitch, 60, who does not have a Twitter account, was removed by Mr Trump when Rudy Giuliani, his lawyer, was trying to encourage Kiev to investigate the business dealings of Joe Biden’s son.

Her testimony was one of the first two transcripts of hearings to be released after a vote last week to bring more openness to the impeachment inquiry.

A whistleblower first raised concerns about Mr Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, which led Democrats to begin an inquiry into whether the president had abused his office by bringing undue pressure to bear on Ukraine to investigate Mr Biden, who was Barack Obama’s vice-president and is a favourite to be the Democratic presidential nominee next year.

READ MORE: Trump call to name whistleblower | Impeachment unfair | Impeachment looms, we can fight | Read all news, analysis on the impeachment inquirer here

Ms Yovanovitch was recalled by the State Department after Mr Giuliani complained that she was biased against the president. She told her hearing that she had been “incredulous” to be removed “on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives”.

Mr Trump described Ms Yovanovitch as “bad news” during a phone call to President Zelensky of Ukraine in July in which he asked for “a favour” and mentioned an investigation into the Bidens. Ms Yovanovitch said: “I was shocked. I mean, I was very surprised that President Trump would speak about me or any ambassador in that way to a foreign counterpart.”

The second transcript, from Michael McKinley, a long-serving diplomat, showed “his growing alarm that the apparatus of state was being used for political purposes by the president and others”, Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, said. Mr McKinley quit on the eve of his testimony last month.

Mr Schiff said that all transcripts of private testimony would be released. Mr Trump had tweeted: “If Shifty Adam Schiff, who is a corrupt politician who fraudulently made up what I said on the ‘call,’ is allowed to release transcripts of the Never Trumpers & others that are & were interviewed, he will change the words that were said to suit the Dems purposes. Republicans should give their own transcripts.”

If Shifty Adam Schiff, who is a corrupt politician who fraudulently made up what I said on the “call,” is allowed to release transcripts of the Never Trumpers & others that are & were interviewed, he will change the words that were said to suit the Dems purposes. Republicans...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2019

....should give their own transcripts of the interviews to contrast with Schiff’s manipulated propaganda. House Republicans must have nothing to do with Shifty’s rendition of those interviews. He is a proven liar, leaker & freak who is really the one who should be impeached!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2019

Lawyers for the whistleblower said that the person was prepared to answer written questions from Republicans. Amid reports that the whistleblower is a registered Democrat, Mr Trump urged that he or she should testify personally. Their identity is protected but Mr Trump has called on the media to reveal it.

It comes amid reports Ukraine plans to fire the prosecutor who led investigations into the firm where Mr Biden’s son Hunter served on the board.

Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has acknowledged meeting the prosecutor, Kostiantyn Kulyk, to discuss accusations against the Bidens.

– A magazine columnist is suing President Trump for defamation after he rejected her claim that he raped her two decades ago in a New York City department store. E Jean Carroll, 75, described the alleged rape in an extract from her book. She is seeking compensation and punitive damages. “No person in this country should be above the law – including the president,” she said.

The Times, with Reuters