Although I understand that I served at the pleasure of the President, I was nevertheless incredulous that the U.S. government chose to remove an Ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.

Marie Yovanovitch

Categorized in : Top News

I remain disappointed that the department's leadership and others have declined to acknowledge that the attacks against me and others are dangerously wrong, this is about far more than me or a couple of individuals. As Foreign Service professionals are being denigrated and undermined, the institution is also being degraded. This will soon cause real harm, if it hasn't already.

Marie Yovanovitch

Thus, perhaps, it was not surprising, that when our anti-corruption efforts got in the way of a desire for profit or power, Ukrainians who preferred to play by the old, corrupt rules sought to remove me. What continues to amaze me is that they found Americans willing to partner with them and, working together, they apparently succeeded in orchestrating the removal of a U.S. ambassador.

Marie Yovanovitch

I had no agenda other than to pursue our stated foreign policy goals, i still find it difficult to comprehend that foreign and private interests were able to undermine U.S. interests in this way.

Marie Yovanovitch

I can't speak to what the president is trying to do, but I think... by Marie Yovanovitch

I can't speak to what the president is trying to do, but I think the effect is to be intimidating.

Marie Yovanovitch

Well I, I mean... I don't think I have such powers. Not in Mogadi... by Marie Yovanovitch

Well I, I mean... I don't think I have such powers. Not in Mogadishu, Somalia, not in other places.

Marie Yovanovitch

This is about far more than me or a couple of individuals. As Foreign Service professionals are being denigrated and undermined, the institution is also being degraded. This will soon cause real harm, if it hasn't already, moreover, the attacks are leading to a crisis in The State Department as the policy process is visibly unraveling, leadership vacancies go unfilled, and senior and mid-level officers ponder an uncertain future and head for the doors. The crisis has moved from the impact on individuals to an impact on the institution.

Marie Yovanovitch

I count Marie Yovanovitch lucky to be a Foreign Service Officer, fortunate to serve with the best America has to offer, blessed to serve the American people for the last 33 years.

Marie Yovanovitch

It is the responsibility of the Department's leaders to stand up for the institution and the individuals who make that institution the most effective diplomatic force in the world. And Congress has a responsibility to reinvest in Foreign Service officers diplomacy.

Marie Yovanovitch

We are professionals, public servants who by vocation and training pursue the policies of the President, regardless of who holds that office or what party they affiliate with, we are people who repeatedly uproot Foreign Service officers lives, who risk -- and sometimes give -- Foreign Service officers lives for this country.

Marie Yovanovitch

I was shocked and devastated that I would feature in a phone call between two heads of state, in such a manner where Donald Trump said that I was' bad news' to another world leader and that I would be going through some things, state Department was State Department.

Marie Yovanovitch

I do not understand Mr. Giuliani's motives for attacking me, nor can I offer an opinion on whether Rudy Giuliani believed the allegations Rudy Giuliani spread about me, clearly, no one at State Department did. What I can say is that Rudy Giuliani should have known those claims were suspect, coming as they reportedly did from individuals with questionable motives and with reason to believe that their political and financial ambitions would be stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine.

Marie Yovanovitch

These hearings are not about tweets, they are about impeachment of the President of the United States.

Marie Yovanovitch

While I obviously don't dispute that the President has the right to withdraw an ambassador at any time for any reason, but what I do wonder is why it was necessary to smear my reputation falsely.

Marie Yovanovitch

You need to go big or go home, you need to, you know, tweet out there that you support The President.

Marie Yovanovitch

I didn't know what it meant. I was very concerned, i still am. by Marie Yovanovitch

I didn't know what it meant. I was very concerned, i still am.

Marie Yovanovitch

If you have the president's son saying, you know, we need to pull these clowns, or however he referred to me, it makes it hard to be a credible ambassador in a country.

Marie Yovanovitch

He said, you know, you need to go big or go home. You need to, you know, tweet out there that you support the president.

Marie Yovanovitch

Today, we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within. State Department leadership, with Congress, needs to take action now to defend this great institution, and its thousands of loyal and effective employees.

Marie Yovanovitch

Like so many, including those in the Ukrainian-American community, my parents lives were changed forever by Communist and Nazi regimes, they survived poverty, war and displacement, and finally arrived in the United States, with me in tow, in search of freedom, opportunity, dignity and accountability.

Marie Yovanovitch

The old oligarch system is still clinging to life, and corruption is its life support, ukraine must continue to pursue economic reforms in line with European standards and fully empower all of its anti-corruption institutions.

Marie Yovanovitch