WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2019) President Donald Trump pressured the Department of State to fire the US ambassador to Ukraine, former envoy Marie Yovanovitch testified to the House of Representatives in prepared remarks on Friday.
"I met with the Deputy Secretary of State," Yovanovitch said. "He said that the President had lost confidence in me and no longer wished me to serve as his ambassador. He added that there had been a concerted campaign against me, and that the [State] Department had been under pressure from the President to remove me since the Summer of 2018."
Yovanovitch's appearance before Congress was part of the impeachment investigations against Trump being conducted by the House of Representatives.
"I was... incredulous that the US 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.
Yovanovitch noted that under her leadership, the US embassy worked to thwart corrupt interests in Ukraine. These interests fought back by selling baseless conspiracy theories to anyone who would listen to them, which led to her removal, she added.
In a joint statement later in the day, the Democratic leaders of three House committees said they were forced to subpoena Yovanovitch because on Thursday night the State Department, at the White House's direction, banned her from appearing before Congress voluntarily.
The Democrats said the move represents the latest example of the Trump administration's efforts to obstruct a lawful impeachment inquiry.
