Trump impeachment hearings, Day 2: Takeaways on Yovanovitch testimony

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump, the reality show president, dramatically inserted himself into the second day of impeachment hearings on Friday.

That’s when he said in a tweet, “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad,” — as the former ambassador to Ukraine was testifying.

Yovanovitch was the only witness to appear Friday at the televised House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing.

In smearing Yovanovitch again — and in real time — Trump gave Democrats the gift of new material to use in their abuse-of-power case. Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., read the tweet to Yovanovich shortly after it posted. Schiff accused Trump of witness intimidation, which Trump denied.

The Trump tweet about Yovanovich roaring to life in the impeachment hearing was the main news.

Following a smear campaign against her — orchestrated in part by Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani - Trump yanked her from her post and she left Ukraine last May.

Here are other takeaways:

On presidential power to name ambassadors

No Democrats dispute the power a president has to name ambassadors, subject to Senate confirmation, yet Republicans are framing the impeachment inquiry — in the hearing room, in television interviews and other media platforms — as if Democrats were trying to deny Trump this right.

The probe, instead, is over this: Did Trump get rid of Yovanovitch in order to make it easier for him to get the Ukraine government to dig up dirt on his potential 2020 rival Joe Biden, dangling withheld military assistance as a carrot?

The top Republican on the Intelligence panel, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., asked Yovanovitch: “Are you against political appointed ambassadors? Is it not the president’s prerogative to appoint whoever he wants in any country?”

She replied: “I am not against political ambassadors, just to be clear.”

Associated Press

Republicans downplay Yovanovitch removal

On Wednesday, Republicans could do nothing to erode the credibility of William Taylor, now the top diplomat in Ukraine – a soldier/statesman with an impressive resume.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, tried to turn that into an advantage on Friday.

If getting rid of Yovanovitch “was some part of some scheme by Trump and (Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and Giuliani to get (Ukraine) President Zelensky to do an investigation, why would they replace her with the Democrats’ first witness, their star witness, Bill Taylor?”

Yovanovich noted that Taylor is not an ambassador; rather, he holds the lesser rank of chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. embassy. The top spot is still open.

Yovanovitch also said that “shady interests ... the world over have learned how little it takes to remove an American ambassador who does not give them what they want.”

Yovanovitch, ‘kneecapped’

Yovanovitch suggested in her testimony she was disappointed the State Department did not have her back when it came to what she said were the “baseless allegations” against her. She went through a list of items she was falsely accused of, to get it on the record.

Republicans tried to distract from the smear campaign that had been waged against Yovanovitch, — a career diplomat for 33 years, serving in seven nations.

Questions from Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, were about her landing at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Public Service. He elicited through his questions to Yovanovitch that she is teaching only one class with 14 or 15 students and still getting her base pay. Conaway tried to leave the impression that Yovanovitch ended up with no harm done; a happy ending.

Quigley: Yovanovitch firing is ‘end of a really bad reality-TV show’

Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., counterpunched.

“It’s like a Hallmark movie. You ended up at Georgetown. This is all OK,” Quigley said, summarizing the Republican view.

“But it wasn’t your preference seven, eight months ago, correct?”

He asked a series of questions: “It wasn’t your preference to be defamed by the president of the United States, including today, was it? ... It wasn’t your preference to be ousted at seemingly the pinnacle of your career, was it? ... You wanted to finish your extended tour, correct?

“There’s nothing wrong with Georgetown. It’s a fine place, right?”

Yovanovitch replied, “it’s a wonderful place.”

Said Quigley: “But it’s your only choice at the end of a distinguished career. After all that. It’s not the end of a Hallmark movie. It’s the end of a really bad reality TV show brought to you by someone who knows a lot about that.”