NEWS THAN ANY OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD.
>>> TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME
OUSTED U.S. AMBASSADOR MARIE
YOVANOVITCH TOLD HER SIDE OF THE
STORY PUBLICLY.
STORY PUBLICLY. LAWMAKERS AND LEGAL COUNSEL BOTH
SIDES ATTEMPTED TO PAINT A
PICTURE.
PICTURE. >> GETTING RID OF AMBASSADOR
YOVANOVITCH HELPED SET THE STAGE
FOR AN IRREGULAR CHANNEL THAT
COULD SET THE PRECEDENT FOR TWO
PRESIDENTS.
PRESIDENTS. THE 2016 CONSPIRACY THEORY AND,
MOST IMPORTANT, AN INVESTIGATION
INTO THE 2020 POLITICAL OPPONENT
HE APPARENTLY FEARED MOST, JOE
BIDEN.
BIDEN. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EXPECT THEIR
PRESIDENT TO USE THE AUTHORITY
THEY GRANT HIM IN THE SERVICE OF
THE NATION, NOT TO DESTROY
OTHERS BUT TO ADVANCE HIS
PERSONAL OR POLITICAL INTERESTS.
IN FACT, DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN
VOWING TO OUST PRESIDENT TRUMP
SINCE THE DAY HE WAS ELECTED.
SO AMERICANS CAN RIGHTLY SUSPECT
THAT HIS PHONE CALL WITH
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY WAS USED AS
AN EXCUSE FOR THE DEMOCRATS TO
FULFILL THEIR WATERGATE
FANTASIES.
FANTASIES. >> LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, I ENTERED
THE FOREIGN SERVICE
UNDERSTANDING THAT MY JOB WAS TO
IMPLEMENT THE FOREIGN POLICY
INTERESTS OF THIS NATION AS
DEFINED BY THE PRESIDENT AND
CONGRESS AND TO DO SO REGARDLESS
OF WHICH PERSON OR PARTY WAS IN
POWER.
POWER. I HAVE NO AGENDA OTHER THAN TO
PURSUE OUR STATE THE FOREIGN
POLICY GOALS.
POLICY GOALS. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DID NOT
ASK ME TO HELP THE CLINTON
CAMPAIGN OR HARM THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, NOR WOULD I HAVE TAKEN
ANY SUCH STEPS IF THEY HAD.
PARTNER
PARTNER PARTISANSHIP OF THIS TYPE IS NOT
COMPATIBLE WITH A CAREER FOREIGN
SERVICE OFFICER.
SERVICE OFFICER. WITH RESPECT TO MAYOR GIULIANI,
I HAVE ONLY HAD MINIMUM CONTACT
WITH HIM, A TOTAL OF THREE.
NONE RELATED TO THE EVENTS AT
ISSUE.
ISSUE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND
MR. GIULIANI’S MOTIVES FOR
ATTACKING ME NOR I CAN OFFER AN
OPINION ON WHETHER HE BELIEVES
THE ALLEGATIONS HE SPREAD ABOUT
ME.
ME. CLEARLY NO ONE AT THE STATE
DEPARTMENT DID.
DEPARTMENT DID. WHAT I CAN SAY IS MR. GIULIANI
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THOSE CLAIMS
WERE SUSPECT COMING AS THEY
REPORTEDLY DID COMING FROM
QUESTIONS WITH QUESTIONABLE
MOTIVES AND REASONS TO BELIEVE
THEIR POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL
AMBITIONS WOULD BE STYMIED BY
OUR ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY IN
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. OUR UKRAINE POLICY HAS BEEN
THROWN INTO DISARRAY AND SHADY
INTERESTS THE WORLD OVER HAVE
LEARNED HOW LITTLE IT TAKES TO
REMOVE AN AMERICAN AMBASSADOR
WHO DOES NOT GIVE THEM WHAT THEY
WANT.
WANT. >> DID ANYONE AT THE STATE
DEPARTMENT EVER EXPRESS CONCERNS
ABOUT YOUR JOB PERFORMANCE?
>> NO.
>> NO. >> NOW, DURING THIS CONVERSATION
DID THE DEPUTY SECRETARY TELL
YOU ABOUT YOUR FUTURE AS THE
AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE?
>> WELL, HE TOLD ME I NEEDED TO
LEAVE.
LEAVE. >> WHAT DID HE SAY?
>> THERE WAS A LOT OF BACK AND
FORTH, BUT ULTIMATELY HE SAID
THE WORDS THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY
FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER
UNDERSTANDS, THE PRESIDENT HAS
LOST CONFIDENCE IN YOU.
THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A TERRIBLE
THING TO HEAR.
AND I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, I
GUESS I HAVE TO GO THEN.
BUT NO -- NO REAL REASON WAS
OFFERED AS TO WHY I HAD TO LEAVE
AND WHY IT WAS BEING DONE IN
SUCH A MANNER.
>> DID YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION
THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAD
LOST CONFIDENCE IN YOU?
>> NO.
>> NO. >> AND WERE YOU PROVIDED ANY
REASON WHY THE PRESIDENT LOST
CONFIDENCE IN YOU?
>> NO.
>> NO. >> IN YOUR OPENING STATEMENT
THAT YOU HAD LEFT UKRAINE BY THE
TIME OF THE JULY 25th CALL
BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY, WHEN WAS THE
FIRST TIME THAT YOU SAW THE CALL
RECORD FOR THIS PHONE CALL?
>> WHEN IT WAS RELEASED PUBLICLY
AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, I
BELIEVE.
BELIEVE. >> AND PRIOR TO READING THAT
CALL RECORD, WERE YOU AWARE THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD SPECIFICALLY
MADE REFERENCE TO YOU IN THAT
CALL?
CALL? >> NO.
>> NO. >> WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO
LEARNING THAT?
LEARNING THAT? >> I WAS SHOCKED.
ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED.
ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED. AND DEVASTATED, FRANKLY.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY
DEVASTATED?
DEVASTATED? >> I WAS SHOCKED AND DEVASTATED
THAT I WOULD FEATURE IN A PHONE
CALL BETWEEN TWO HEADS OF STATE
IN SUCH A MANNER, WHERE
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID I WAS BAD
NEWS TO ANOTHER WORLD LEADER AND
THAT I WOULD BE GOING THROUGH
THINGS.
THINGS. SO, I WAS -- IT WAS A TERRIBLE
MOMENT.
MOMENT. A PERSON WHO SAW ME ACTUALLY
READING THE TRANSCRIPT SAID THAT
THE COLOR DRAINED MY FACE.
I THINK I EVEN HAD A PHYSICAL
REACTION.
REACTION. >> THE NEXT EXCERPT WHEN THE
PRESIDENT REFERENCES YOU WAS A
SHOT ONE, BUT HE SAID, WELL,
SHE’S GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME
THINGS.
THINGS. WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP TOLD PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY AND YOU READ THAT YOU
WERE GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME
THINGS?
THINGS? >> I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK,
BUT I WAS VERY CONCERNED.
>> WHAT WERE YOU CONCERNED
ABOUT?
ABOUT? >> SHE’S GOING TO GO THROUGH
SOME THINGS.
SOME THINGS. IT DIDN’T SOUND GOOD.
IT SOUNDED LIKE A THREAT.
>> AMBASSADOR YOVANOVITCH, AS WE
SIT HERE TESTIFYING, THE
PRESIDENT IS ATTACKING YOU ON
TWITTER.
TWITTER. AND I’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A
CHANCE TO RESPOND.
I’LL READ PART OF HIS TWEETS.
EVERYWHERE MARIE YOVANOVITCH
WENT TURNED BAD.
SHE STARTED OUT IN SOMALIA.
HOW DID THAT GO?
HE GOES ON TO SAY, LATER IN THE
TWEET IS THE U.S. PRESIDENT HAS
THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO APPOINT
AMBASSADORS.
AMBASSADORS. FIRST OF ALL, AMBASSADOR
YOVANOVITCH, THE SENATE HAS A
CHANCE TO CONFIRM OR DENY AN
AMBASSADOR, DO TLE NOT?
>> YES, ADVISE AND CONSENT.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO
RESPOND TO THE PRESIDENT’S
ATTACK THAT EVERYWHERE YOU WENT
TURNED BAD?
TURNED BAD? >> WELL, I -- I MEAN, I -- I
DON’T THINK I HAVE SUCH POWERS,
NOT IN MOGADISHU, SOMALIA AND IN
OTHER PLACES.
OTHER PLACES. I ACTUALLY THINK WHERE I’VE
SERVED OVER THE YEARS, I AND
OTHERS HAVE DEMONSTRABLY MADE
THINGS BETTER, YOU KNOW, FOR THE
U.S. AS WELL AS FOR THE
COUNTRIES THAT I’VE SERVED IN.
UKRAINE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE
THERE ARE HUGE CHALLENGES,
INCLUDING ON THE ISSUE WE’RE
DISCUSSING TODAY OF CORRUPTION.
HUGE CHALLENGES.
HUGE CHALLENGES. BUT THEY’VE MADE A LOT OF
PROGRESS SINCE 2014, INCLUDING
IN THE YEARS THAT I WAS THERE.
AND I THINK, IN PART, I MEAN,
UKRAINIAN PEOPLE GET THE MOST --
THE MOST CREDIT FOR THAT.
BUT A PART OF THAT CREDIT GOES
TO THE WORK OF THE UNITED STATES
>> I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, AMBASSADOR, THAT SOME OF US HERE
TAKE WITNESS INTIMIDATION VERY,
VERY SERIOUSLY.
VERY SERIOUSLY. >> DO YOU THINK PART OF MAKING
THE UKRAINIAN INTELLIGENCE TO DO
THINGS COUNTER TO U.S.
INTERESTS?
INTERESTS? I THINK THAT’S CERTAINLY WHAT
THE UKRAINIAN ESTABLISHMENT
HOPED.
HOPED. I THINK THAT IN IN ADDITION
THERE WERE AMERICANS, THESE TWO
INDIVIDUALS, WHO WERE WORKING
WITH MAYOR GIULIANI, MR. PARNAS
AND MR. FRUMAN RECENTLY INDICTED
BY THE FEDERAL DISTRICT OF NEW
YORK WHO INDICATED THAT THEY
WANTED TO CHANGE OUT THE
AMBASSADOR AND I THINK THEY MUST
HAVE HAD SOME REASON FOR THAT.
>> YOU CERTAINLY CAN UNDERSTAND
HAS THE PRESIDENT AWARE OF THE
MINISTER IN A STATEMENT AWARE OF
WHAT MR. POROSHENKO WAS UP TO
AND MR. PARNAS AND REASONABLE
BASIS TO WONDER WHETHER THERE
ARE INFLUENTIAL ELEMENTS TO
UKRAINIAN ESTABLISHMENT THAT
WERE OUT TO GET THE PRESIDENT?
>> I -- YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I MEAN,
I CAN’T SPEAK FOR WHAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP THOUGHT OR WHAT OTHERS
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT. I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THOSE
ELEMENTS THAT YOU’VE RECITED
DON’T SEEM TO BE THE UKRAINIAN
KIND OF A PLAN OR A PLOT FOR THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT TO WORK
AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP OR
ANYONE ELSE.
ANYONE ELSE. I MEAN, THEY’RE ISOLATED
INCIDENTS.
INCIDENTS. WE ALL KNOW I’M COMING TO FIND
OUT MYSELF THAT PUBLIC LIFE CAN
BE -- PEOPLE ARE CRITICAL, AND
THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT SOMEONE
IS, OR A GOVERNMENT IS
UNDERMINING EITHER A CAMPAIGN OR
INTERFERING IN ELECTIONS AND I
WOULD JUST REMIND AGAIN THAT OUR
OWN U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
HAS CONCLUSIVELY DETERMINED THAT
THE, THOSE WHO INTERFERED IN THE
ELECTION WERE IN RUSSIA.