Former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch testified before an impeachment hearing on Friday. Questions from House Democrats focused on the ambassador's removal by President Trump from her post earlier this year. The impeachment hearing was supposed to be about Trump's July 25th phone call to Ukraine President Zelensky, but since Yovanovitch didn't know anything about that phone call, House Democrats focused on her thoughts and feelings instead.
The most important part of today’s hearing was Amb. Yovanovitch’s statement that she has no evidence that Trump received a bribe or that he committed a crime. This is an impeachment hearing. Not a personnel hearing. Not a foreign policy hearing. She saw no crime committed.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) November 15, 2019
Marie Yovanovitch's biography is not evidence
— Botnet Warlord Poso (@JackPosobiec) November 15, 2019
Whiny bureaucrat feelings are not evidence
Hearsay is not evidence
Hunter Biden's $83,000 a month is evidence
House democrats seem to think that Yovanovitch’s hurt feelings are grounds for impeachment.
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) November 15, 2019
But even Yovanovitch admitted during the hearing that she served at the pleasure of the president.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) tweeted after the hearing, reminding Washington Democrats and pundits that President Obama fired every Bush-appointed ambassador after he was elected president in 2008. Rep. Meadows linked to an article in The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler heralding Obama's decision to clear out Bush-appointed ambassadors.
(Via The Washington Post)
The clean slate will open up prime opportunities for the president-elect to reward political supporters with posts in London, Paris, Tokyo and the like. The notice to diplomatic posts was issued this week.
Political ambassadors sometimes are permitted to stay on briefly during a new administration, but the sweeping nature of the directive suggests that Obama has little interest in retaining any of Bush's ambassadorial appointees.
Most ambassadors, of course, are foreign service officers, but often the posts involving the most important bilateral relations (such as with Great Britain, Japan and India) or desirable locales (such as the Bahamas) are given to close friends and well-heeled contributors of the president.
But, of course, when Trump recalls an ambassador, Democrats think it's evidence of a conspiracy.
For Washington Democrats and pundits who are incredulous that @realDonaldTrump recalled an ambassador, certain that it must be evidence of a conspiracy...
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) November 15, 2019
President Obama fired every Bush appointed ambassador upon his election.https://t.co/quP7oMAaBA