Envoy Shows Up to Testify Despite Trump’s Opposition
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch appeared on Capitol Hill Friday for a deposition in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, accepting lawmakers’ invitation to testify despite President Donald Trump’s declaration that his administration wouldn’t cooperate with the probe.
Yovanovitch was recalled from her post in May and is now a State Department fellow at Georgetown University. Trump said earlier this week that he would block all officials from testifying, saying the probe was unfair and “illegitimate.” It’s unclear if Yovanovitch’s appearance signals a shift in that strategy or if she is breaking with White House policy.
Democrats are investigating Trump’s pleas to Ukrainian officials to launch investigations of political rival Joe Biden and his family. Yovanovitch was recalled from Kyiv in May as Rudy Giuliani — who is Trump’s personal attorney and has no official role in the U.S. government — pushed Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless corruption allegations against the Bidens.