(4 Nov 2019) Before heading out to a rally in Kentucky, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke for the first time since three committees leading the Democrats' impeachment probe released the first transcripts of closed-door interviews as part of their inquiry into Trump's dealings with Ukraine.
The panels released testimony from former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and Michael McKinley, a former senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Yovanovitch was pushed out of her job in May on Trump's orders.
Yovanovitch told investigators that she was shocked to learn Trump had called her 'bad news' in the phone call, adding that she felt threatened and perplexed by his remark that she was 'going to go through some things.'
The diplomat added that she worried that her job and pension could be at risk but that so far she wasn't concerned about her personal safety although she said a number of her friends were very concerned.
McKinley, a 37-year veteran career diplomat, testified that he decided to resign from his post as a senior adviser to Pompeo after his repeated efforts to get the State Department to issue a statement of support for Yovanovitch after the transcript of the Trump-Zelenskiy phone call was released.
McKinley said he was already concerned about politicization at the State Department and that the refusal to publicly back Yovanovitch convinced him it was time to leave
A whistleblower sparked the impeachment inquiry after raising concerns about Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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