WASHINGTON • The former US ambassador to Ukraine has told an impeachment inquiry in Congress that she felt threatened by President Donald Trump and "shocked, appalled, devastated" that he vilified her in a call with another foreign leader, as Mr Trump attacked her in real time on Twitter, drawing a stern warning about witness intimidation from Democrats.
The extraordinary back-and-forth unfolded on Friday, the second day of public impeachment hearings, as Ms Marie Yovanovitch, who was ousted as the envoy to Ukraine on Mr Trump's orders, detailed an unsettling campaign by the President's allies to undermine her as she pushed to promote democracy and the rule of law.
In deeply personal terms, Ms Yovanovitch described to the House Intelligence Committee how Mr Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump's personal lawyer, worked hand in hand with a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor to circumvent official channels, smear her and push her out of her job.
Her testimony drew a spontaneous standing ovation and capped a revealing first week of public hearings as Democrats seek to make their case that Mr Trump abused his power to enlist Ukraine's help in discrediting his political rivals, chiefly, former vice-president Joe Biden.
Democrats say that Ms Yovanovitch was pulled back to Washington to clear the way for Mr Trump's allies to persuade Ukraine to launch corruption probes into Mr Biden, a Democratic presidential contender, and his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.
Mr Trump's pressure on Ukraine is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into whether the Republican President misused United States foreign policy to undermine one of his potential opponents in next year's election.
As Ms Yovanovitch testified, Mr Trump fired off criticism on Twitter in a move Democrats labelled "real-time" witness intimidation.
"Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad," Mr Trump wrote on Twitter at the very moment Ms Yovanovitch was testifying about having felt threatened by him.
"She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavourably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a US President's absolute right to appoint ambassadors."
Representative Adam Schiff, who is chairing the hearing in the House Intelligence Committee, interrupted his counsel's questioning to read the President's words aloud to Ms Yovanovitch and ask for her reaction.
She said it was very intimidating.
"I can't speak to what the President is trying to do, but I think the effect is to be intimidating," she added.
Mr Schiff replied: "Well, I want to let you know, ambassador, that some of us here take witness intimidation very, very seriously."
Afterwards, Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, a member of the committee, told reporters that the Trump attack could be considered for a separate article of impeachment against Mr Trump for obstruction of justice.
At the White House, Mr Trump told reporters that he did not think his tweets were intimidating.
"I have the right to speak. I have freedom of speech just as other people do," Mr Trump said.
The main focus of the impeachment inquiry is a July 25 phone call in which Mr Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who took office in May, to open the investigations.
Democrats are looking into whether Mr Trump abused his power by withholding US$391 million (S$532 million) in US security aid to Ukraine as leverage to pressure Kiev to investigate Mr Biden.
The money, approved by the US Congress to help US ally Ukraine combat Russia-backed separatists, was later provided to Ukraine.
Many Republicans in Congress say that Mr Trump's actions regarding Ukraine are not impeachable offences, and the President denies any wrongdoing.
REUTERS, NYTIMES
