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| Excerpts and Analysis From 2 Impeachment Inquiry Transcripts | Excerpts and Analysis From 2 Impeachment Inquiry Transcripts |
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| WASHINGTON — The House committees leading the impeachment inquiry on Monday moved to open their proceedings to the public, releasing the first two transcripts of hours of testimony they have taken behind closed doors. | WASHINGTON — The House committees leading the impeachment inquiry on Monday moved to open their proceedings to the public, releasing the first two transcripts of hours of testimony they have taken behind closed doors. |
| The transcripts were the leading edge of a series of expected releases this week, and include witness testimony from two diplomats — Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former United States ambassador to Ukraine, and Michael McKinley, a former top adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. New York Times reporters combed through the transcripts, identified key excerpts and added context and analysis. | |
| Yovanovitch transcript, Page 264: “And the next thing we knew, Mayor Giuliani was calling the White House as well as the assistant secretary for consular affairs, saying that I was blocking the visa for Mr. Shokin, and that Mr. Shokin was coming to meet him and provide information about corruption at the embassy, including my corruption.” | Yovanovitch transcript, Page 264: “And the next thing we knew, Mayor Giuliani was calling the White House as well as the assistant secretary for consular affairs, saying that I was blocking the visa for Mr. Shokin, and that Mr. Shokin was coming to meet him and provide information about corruption at the embassy, including my corruption.” |
| Much has been reported about the efforts of the president’s private lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani — both public and behind the scenes — to court Ukrainian officials who would help in his bid to ultimately damage the reputations of Mr. Trump’s political opponents. Ms. Yovanovitch’s account of Mr. Giuliani’s attempts to interfere in the State Department decision provides additional details about just how open he was about his campaign to enlist Ukraine to help Mr. Trump win re-election. | Much has been reported about the efforts of the president’s private lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani — both public and behind the scenes — to court Ukrainian officials who would help in his bid to ultimately damage the reputations of Mr. Trump’s political opponents. Ms. Yovanovitch’s account of Mr. Giuliani’s attempts to interfere in the State Department decision provides additional details about just how open he was about his campaign to enlist Ukraine to help Mr. Trump win re-election. |
| Viktor Shokin, the former top prosecutor in Ukraine who was ousted in March 2016, applied to the State Department in early 2019 for a visa, stating that he wanted to travel to the United States to visit family. Following longstanding policy, an American consular officer denied the visa application because of Mr. Shokin’s corrupt dealings. | Viktor Shokin, the former top prosecutor in Ukraine who was ousted in March 2016, applied to the State Department in early 2019 for a visa, stating that he wanted to travel to the United States to visit family. Following longstanding policy, an American consular officer denied the visa application because of Mr. Shokin’s corrupt dealings. |
| When Mr. Giuliani pushed to get Mr. Shokin’s visa application approved, he said the purpose of the trip was for a meeting, creating a new reason for the State Department to deny Mr. Shokin a visa — he lied on his application. — Eileen Sullivan | When Mr. Giuliani pushed to get Mr. Shokin’s visa application approved, he said the purpose of the trip was for a meeting, creating a new reason for the State Department to deny Mr. Shokin a visa — he lied on his application. — Eileen Sullivan |
| Yovanovitch transcript, Page 117: “The secretary or perhaps somebody around him was going to place a call to Mr. Hannity on Fox News to say, ‘You know, what is going on? I mean, do you have proof of these kinds of allegations or not? And if you have proof, you know, tell me, and if not, stop.’” | Yovanovitch transcript, Page 117: “The secretary or perhaps somebody around him was going to place a call to Mr. Hannity on Fox News to say, ‘You know, what is going on? I mean, do you have proof of these kinds of allegations or not? And if you have proof, you know, tell me, and if not, stop.’” |
| Ms. Yovanovitch testified that she was pushed out of her post after Mr. Giuliani and others waged a smear campaign against her. She said that near the end of March, she was told Mr. Pompeo or someone close to him would be calling Sean Hannity, the conservative Fox News host, to complain about the allegations he had been broadcasting against her. | Ms. Yovanovitch testified that she was pushed out of her post after Mr. Giuliani and others waged a smear campaign against her. She said that near the end of March, she was told Mr. Pompeo or someone close to him would be calling Sean Hannity, the conservative Fox News host, to complain about the allegations he had been broadcasting against her. |
| Ms. Yovanovitch said she did not know what was said on that call. A spokeswoman for Mr. Hannity did not respond to a request for comment. | Ms. Yovanovitch said she did not know what was said on that call. A spokeswoman for Mr. Hannity did not respond to a request for comment. |
| Ms. Yovanovitch said that while the State Department was mostly silent in the face of the public attacks on her, she received one piece of advice from Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union and a key loyalist to Mr. Trump: Tweet something nice about the president. | Ms. Yovanovitch said that while the State Department was mostly silent in the face of the public attacks on her, she received one piece of advice from Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union and a key loyalist to Mr. Trump: Tweet something nice about the president. |
| Asked why she didn’t take the advice, she noted that the State Department had been largely silent about the criticism of her: “I just didn’t see that there would be any advantage to publicly taking on a fight with those who were criticizing me in the United States.” — Michael D. Shear | Asked why she didn’t take the advice, she noted that the State Department had been largely silent about the criticism of her: “I just didn’t see that there would be any advantage to publicly taking on a fight with those who were criticizing me in the United States.” — Michael D. Shear |
| Yovanovitch transcript, Page 270: “It’s not like I sent in a formal cable outlining everything. It felt very, very — very sensitive and very political.” | Yovanovitch transcript, Page 270: “It’s not like I sent in a formal cable outlining everything. It felt very, very — very sensitive and very political.” |
| Impeachment investigators have been hammering witnesses on what they knew about Mr. Giuliani’s and Mr. Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and what they did about it. According to Ms. Yovanovitch, their activities were widely known in Ukraine foreign policy circles, and many believed it was not typical, appropriate government conduct. But it was the politically-sensitive nature of what was going on that worried officials about formally raising concerns.— Eileen Sullivan | Impeachment investigators have been hammering witnesses on what they knew about Mr. Giuliani’s and Mr. Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and what they did about it. According to Ms. Yovanovitch, their activities were widely known in Ukraine foreign policy circles, and many believed it was not typical, appropriate government conduct. But it was the politically-sensitive nature of what was going on that worried officials about formally raising concerns.— Eileen Sullivan |
| Yovanovitch transcript, Page 27: “Basically, it was people in the Ukrainian government who said that Mr. Lutsenko, the former prosecutor general, was in communication with Mayor Giuliani, and that they had plans, and that they were going to, you know, do things, including to me.” | Yovanovitch transcript, Page 27: “Basically, it was people in the Ukrainian government who said that Mr. Lutsenko, the former prosecutor general, was in communication with Mayor Giuliani, and that they had plans, and that they were going to, you know, do things, including to me.” |
| As she recounts it, the story of Ms. Yovanovitch’s removal from her posting in Kiev began as abruptly as it ended. In November or December 2018, Ms. Yovanovitch learned from Ukrainian government officials, not Americans, that the president’s personal lawyer was working with Yuriy Lutsenko, the prosecutor general in Ukraine, in some shadowy way as both men sought to investigate the Bidens and other issues connected to Democrats. | As she recounts it, the story of Ms. Yovanovitch’s removal from her posting in Kiev began as abruptly as it ended. In November or December 2018, Ms. Yovanovitch learned from Ukrainian government officials, not Americans, that the president’s personal lawyer was working with Yuriy Lutsenko, the prosecutor general in Ukraine, in some shadowy way as both men sought to investigate the Bidens and other issues connected to Democrats. |
| It would become clearer over time that their goal was to remove her, she said. Democratic investigators do not view this chain of events as a side show. They are preparing to present the two men and others as working to oust Ms. Yovanovitch, who was championing anticorruption initiatives in Ukraine, to clear the decks for investigations that would benefit Mr. Trump politically. Whatever their intention, they succeeded months later, when Mr. Trump recalled Ms. Yovanovitch. — Nicholas Fandos | It would become clearer over time that their goal was to remove her, she said. Democratic investigators do not view this chain of events as a side show. They are preparing to present the two men and others as working to oust Ms. Yovanovitch, who was championing anticorruption initiatives in Ukraine, to clear the decks for investigations that would benefit Mr. Trump politically. Whatever their intention, they succeeded months later, when Mr. Trump recalled Ms. Yovanovitch. — Nicholas Fandos |
| McKinley transcript, Page 112: “In 37 years in the Foreign Service and different parts of the globe and working on many controversial issues, working 10 years back in Washington, I had never seen that.” | McKinley transcript, Page 112: “In 37 years in the Foreign Service and different parts of the globe and working on many controversial issues, working 10 years back in Washington, I had never seen that.” |
| Mr. McKinley told investigators that his resignation was prompted by his belief that the State Department was being used to dig up dirt on the president’s political opponent, something he characterized as unprecedented. — Michael D. Shear | Mr. McKinley told investigators that his resignation was prompted by his belief that the State Department was being used to dig up dirt on the president’s political opponent, something he characterized as unprecedented. — Michael D. Shear |
| Mr. McKinley recounted a conversation he had with George P. Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, who described internal bullying by State Department officials who were trying to mute his concerns. Mr. Kent also worried that the State Department had given inaccurate information to Congress, Mr. McKinley said. | |
| McKinley transcript, Page 110: “THE CHAIRMAN [Representative Adam B. Schiff of California]: But let me ask you about this because you mentioned that he was concerned about bullying. One of the representations apparently made in that letter from the State Department was that State Department witnesses like Mr. Kent or perhaps yourself or others were being bullied, not by the State Department but by Congress. But what Mr. Kent was raising with you was his concern that he was being bullied by the State Department. Is that correct? | |
| MR. MCKINLEY: That’s correct. | |
| THE CHAIRMAN: And he felt that what the State Department had represented to Congress included something that he thought was a lie. | |
| MR. MCKINLEY: ‘Inaccurate’ is the term I’ll use because, again, without looking back at the memo word for word, I do want to be, on a subject like that, as accurate as possible. He did question the way it was being presented, absolutely. | |
| THE CHAIRMAN: And I think you said he conveyed to you that he thought that the State Department lawyer, perhaps among others, was trying to shut him up. Is that right? | |
| MR. MCKINLEY: He did, and he focused specifically on the lawyer.” | |
| — Lara Jakes | |
| Yovanovitch transcript, Page 193: “I was very surprised that President Trump would — first of all, that I would feature repeatedly in a presidential phone call — but secondly, that the president would speak about me or any ambassador in that way to a foreign counterpart.” | Yovanovitch transcript, Page 193: “I was very surprised that President Trump would — first of all, that I would feature repeatedly in a presidential phone call — but secondly, that the president would speak about me or any ambassador in that way to a foreign counterpart.” |
| During his conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Mr. Trump raised Ms. Yovanovitch’s ouster and said she was “bad news.” He also stated, “Well, she’s going to go through some things.” | During his conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Mr. Trump raised Ms. Yovanovitch’s ouster and said she was “bad news.” He also stated, “Well, she’s going to go through some things.” |
| To many who read the transcript released by the White House, including Ms. Yovanovitch, it sounded like an ominous threat. At the time of her testimony, she still did not know what the president meant by it.— Eileen Sullivan | To many who read the transcript released by the White House, including Ms. Yovanovitch, it sounded like an ominous threat. At the time of her testimony, she still did not know what the president meant by it.— Eileen Sullivan |
| McKinley transcript, Page 38: “My reaction was, well, there’s a simple solution for this. We think she’s a strong, professional career diplomat who’s still on the rolls, who’s still a full-time department employee. It shouldn’t be difficult to put out a short statement that’s not political, stating clearly that we respect the professionalism, the tenure of Ambassador Yovanovitch in the Ukraine.” | McKinley transcript, Page 38: “My reaction was, well, there’s a simple solution for this. We think she’s a strong, professional career diplomat who’s still on the rolls, who’s still a full-time department employee. It shouldn’t be difficult to put out a short statement that’s not political, stating clearly that we respect the professionalism, the tenure of Ambassador Yovanovitch in the Ukraine.” |
| Mr. McKinley said that he pressed Mr. Pompeo three times to come to the defense of Ms. Yovanovitch and received no response, after it was revealed publicly that Mr. Trump had disparaged her during his July 25 call with the president of Ukraine. Mr. McKinley said his third attempt to do so came as he tendered his resignation. “I was pretty direct. I said, you know, this situation isn’t acceptable,” Mr. McKinley told House investigators. — Michael D. Shear | Mr. McKinley said that he pressed Mr. Pompeo three times to come to the defense of Ms. Yovanovitch and received no response, after it was revealed publicly that Mr. Trump had disparaged her during his July 25 call with the president of Ukraine. Mr. McKinley said his third attempt to do so came as he tendered his resignation. “I was pretty direct. I said, you know, this situation isn’t acceptable,” Mr. McKinley told House investigators. — Michael D. Shear |