The testimony Friday of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch will be forever linked in history to completely unforeseeable and unexpected circumstances that unfolded early in the midst of her congressional appearance. Donald Trump, amid the impeachment imbroglio enveloping his presidency, took to Twitter to attack Yovanovitch in real time as she provided sworn testimony to the House Intelligence Committee about the baseless smear campaign that had forced her from her post.
"Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad," Trump tweeted, suggesting that she was somehow singlehandedly responsible for the tumult in Somalia, her first diplomatic post in 1986.
House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff stopped the proceedings to bring attention to Trump's witness intimidation, asking Yovanovitch if she wanted to respond to Trump's tweet. Yovanovitch raised her eyebrows and sort of shook her head in apparent disbelief at what was transpiring before responding.
"I don't think I have such powers," she offered of Trump's suggestion that she somehow doomed places like Somalia by her mere presence. She added that she believed she and other Foreign Service officers had "demonstrably made things better" in tough places around the world where they have served.
Schiff then asked Yovanovitch—who had previously testified that she felt threatened by Trump's derogatory mentions of her in his infamous July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—what effect she believed Trump's attack would have on other witnesses who might come forward.
"It's very intimidating," she said.
Schiff responded, “Well, I want to let you know, Ambassador, that some of us here take witness intimidation very very seriously.”
Trump's personal attacks on Yovanovitch—who was so soft-spoken she was asked to lean in to the microphone—make clear that, for whatever reason, he felt extremely intimidated by her testimony. He also simply can't stand women who challenge his authority in any way. But Trump's abhorrent behavior will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable moments of Friday’s hearing, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flatly declaring, "Witness intimidation is a crime." Trump’s lapse in judgment was so glaring that even GOP stalwarts such as Ken Starr and Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House, took exception to Trump's behavior. On Fox News, Starr called it "extraordinarily poor judgment," while Cheney said that Yovanovitch "clearly is somebody who's been a public servant to the United States for decades and I don't think the president should have done that." Sure, Republicans have aided and abetted Trump's corrupt impulses for three years, but the point is, he cannot afford to have any detractors in the House in the midst of an impeachment probe rocking his administration. If things are so bad that the House GOP's No. 3 is speaking out, just imagine how indefensible Trump's actions appear to a Republican senator seeking reelection in a swing state.
But Trump’s defamatory tweets weren’t to be the only unforeseen bombshell to drop in the middle of the Yovanovitch hearing. During a break in testimony, longtime Trump friend and confidant Roger Stone was found guilty on all seven counts brought against him for lying to Congress, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering (yes, witness tampering!). It was as if a thunderbolt of justice struck Capitol Hill in the middle of Trump's abuses, reminding everyone of the costs of lying and cheating to defend Trump's lawlessness.
"While the president was trying to intimidate one witness, the rule of law just intimated a whole slew of other witnesses," former Sen. Claire McCaskill told MSNBC, referring to the likes of acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani, and others who are refusing to testify in the impeachment hearings. Take note, fellas: Cling too closely to Trump and you could go the way of Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, and Mike Flynn. Just a guess that Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who had a direct line to Trump and is expected to testify next week, spent some quality time on the phone with his lawyer Friday. Sondland's got some 'splaining to do.
All that took place before 12:00 PM ET Friday in a hearing that extended for nearly another three and a half hours. Yovanovitch received a standing ovation as she left the hearing room. Here were some other notable headlines coming out of Yovanovitch's testimony.