The 15 essential questions for Marie Yovanovitch, America's former ambassador to Ukraine

John Solomon Reports ^ | November 15, 2019 | John Solomon

[Cboldt]

The next big witness for the House Democrats' impeachment hearings is Marie Yovanovitch, the former American ambassador to Ukraine who was recalled last spring at President Trump's insistence.

It is unclear what firsthand knowledge she will offer about the core allegation of this impeachment: that Trump delayed foreign aid assistance to Ukraine in hopes of getting an investigation of Joe Biden and Democrats started.

Nonetheless, she did deal with the Ukrainians going back to the summer of 2016 and likely will be an important fact witness.

After nearly two years of reporting on Ukraine issues, here are 15 questions I think could be most illuminating to every day Americans if the ambassador answered them.

1. Ambassador Yovanovitch, at any time while you served in Ukraine did any officials in Kiev ever express concern to you that President Trump might be withholding foreign aid assistance to get political investigations started? Did President Trump ever ask you as America's top representative in Kiev to pressure Ukrainians to start an investigation about Burisma Holdings or the Bidens?
2. What was the Ukrainians' perception of President Trump after he allowed lethal aid to go to Ukraine in 2018?
3. In the spring and summer of 2019, did you ever become aware of any U.S. intelligence or U.S. treasury concerns raised about incoming Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his affiliation or proximity to certain oligarchs? Did any of those concerns involve what the IMF might do if a certain oligarch who supported Zelensky returned to power and regained influence over Ukraine's national bank?
4. Back in May 2018, then-House Rules Committee chairman Pete Sessions wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting you might have made comments unflattering or unsupportive of the president and should be recalled. Setting aside that Sessions is a Republican and might even have donors interested in Ukraine policy, were you ever questioned about his concerns? At any time have you or your embassy staff made comments that could be viewed as unsupportive or critical of President Trump and his policies?
5. John Solomon reported at The Hill and your colleagues have since confirmed in testimony that the State Department helped fund a nonprofit called the Anti-Corruption Action Centre of Ukraine that also was funded by George Soros' main charity. That nonprofit, also known as AnTac, was identified in a 2014 Soros foundation strategy document as critical to reshaping Ukraine to Mr. Soros' vision. Can you explain what role your embassy played in funding this group and why State funds would flow to it? And did any one consider the perception of mingling tax dollars with those donated by Soros, a liberal ideologue who spent millions in 2016 trying to elect Hillary Clinton and defeat Donald Trump?
6. In March 2019, Ukrainian prosecutor general Yuriy Lutsenko gave an on-the-record, videotaped interview to The Hill alleging that during a 2016 meeting you discussed a list of names of Ukrainian nationals and groups you did not want to see Ukrainian prosecutors target. Your supporters have since suggested he recanted that story. Did you or your staff ever do anything to confirm he had recanted or changed his story, such as talk to him, or did you just rely on press reports?
7. Now that both the New York Times and The Hill have confirmed that Lutsenko stands by his account and has not recanted, how do you respond to his concerns? And setting aide the use of the word "list," is it possible that during that 2016 meeting with Mr. Lutsenko you discussed the names of certain Ukrainians you did not want to see prosecuted, investigated or harassed?
8. Your colleagues, in particular Mr. George Kent, have confirmed to the House Intelligence Committee that the U.S. embassy in Kiev did, in fact, exert pressure on the Ukrainian prosecutors office not to prosecute certain Ukrainian activists and officials. These efforts included a letter Mr. Kent signed urging Ukrainian prosecutors to back off an investigation of the aforementioned group AnTac as well as engaged in conversations about certain Ukrainians like Parliamentary member Sergey Leschenko, journalist Vitali Shabunin and NABU director Artem Sytnyk. Why was the US. Embassy involved in exerting such pressure and did any of these actions run afoul of the Geneva Convention's requirement that foreign diplomats avoid becoming involved in the internal affairs of their host country?
9. On March 5 of this year, you gave a speech in which you called for the replacement of Ukraine's top anti-corruption prosecutor. That speech occurred in the middle of the Ukrainian presidential election and obviously raised concerns among some Ukrainians of internal interference prohibited by the Geneva Convention. In fact, one of your bosses, Under Secretary David Hale, got questioned about those concerns when he arrived in country a few days later. Why did you think it was appropriate to give advice to Ukrainians on an internal personnel matter and did you consider then or now the potential concerns your comments might raise about meddling in the Ukrainian election or the country's internal affairs?
10. If the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States suddenly urged us to fire Attorney General Bill Bar or our FBI director, would you think that was appropriate?
11. At any time since December 2015, did you or your embassy ever have any contact with Vice President Joe Biden, his office or his son Hunter Biden concerning Burisma Holdings or an investigation into its owner Mykola Zlochevsky?
12. At any time since you were appointed ambassador to Ukraine, did you or your embassy have any contact with the following Burisma figures: Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, lawyer John Buretta, Blue Star strategies representatives Sally Painter and Karen Tramontano, or former Ukrainian embassy official Andrii Telizhenko?
13. John Solomon obtained documents showing Burisma representatives were pressuring the State Department in February 2016 to help end the corruption allegations against the company and were invoking Hunter Biden's name as part of their effort. Did you ever subsequently learn of these contacts and did any one at State -- including but not limited to Secretary Kerry, Undersecretary Novelli, Deputy Secretary Blinken or Assistant Secretary Nuland -- ever raise Burisma with you?
14. What was your embassy's assessment of the corruption allegations around Burisma and why the company may have hired Hunter Biden as a board member in 2014?
15. In spring 2019 your embassy reportedly began monitoring briefly the social media communications of certain people viewed as supportive of President Trump and gathering analytics about them. Who were those people? Why was this done? Why did it stop? And did anyone in the State Department chain of command ever suggest targeting Americans with State resources might be improper or illegal?

[freefdny]

You win she cried. I hope all the nasty Republicans feel good about themselves.

[UCANSEE2]

It would be good for America if this seditious loser were exposed, arrested (and after a fair trial and conviction) exiled for the rest of her obviously worthless life.

Think about this. She was doing nothing more than all the other ambassadors during the Obama Administration.

[golux]

This is how her testimony will affect the Department of State:

1. Presidents will no longer trust career Ambassadors.

2. The lives of State Dept. officials will become much more chaotic.

3. Everyone’s lives at State will become much more insecure

4. The Executive will gradually de-fund State

5. Foreign governments will know they can unseat Ambassadors and Presidents.

6. The “biggest” of these foreign governments will adhere to the principles of international Marxism.

7. The leftist regime of State will not recognize that they contributed to the decline of American influence.

8. Officers as government officers do will celebrate “huge challenges.”

9. More wars and diplomatic campaigns will ensue. More Democrats will be elected to promote “understanding” and Govt will re-fund State.

10. The U.S. will suffer, the American taxpayer will suffer, and the State Dept. official will benefit from increased power and funding.

[hadaclueonce]

Schiff is the first bastard need to be in jail.

[UCANSEE2]

Don’t forget, Ukraine is also the poorest of the nations of that area.

[combat_boots]

Fighting hard for her pension...

[Phil DiBasquette]

What’s new, pussyhat?

Another Blase’-Fjord lyin’ and cryin’
(playing the hoary female card)
too much to take?

Or did you leave off the /s?

[UCANSEE2]

I think there is only one question she should be asked.

When did the investigation into corruption involving Burisma start in the Ukraine ?

[UCANSEE2]

The correct answer to my last question is the key to stopping this whole impeachment circus.

Even in the second transcript, Trump was asking about an ONGOING investigation.

[UCANSEE2]

I dismiss any claim that the government is by and large good people. It is not.

Yeah... but our Government is a reflection of our SOCIETY. Those Bad People just don't beam in from a Klingon Vessel.

[hal ogen]

ALL should experience the same suggested fate. Losers all.

[UCANSEE2]

Well.... maybe Schiff did.

[Baynative]

I just turned on the news (7:35 PST)and they are saying that during her testimony Trump turned the whole thing around by tweeting something that is considered witness tampering.

She is saying the tweet is intimidating and, of course, Chris Wallace is giddy over the whole thing. Did anyone catch what is going on?

They are taking a break now.

[Cboldt]

-- but our Government is a reflection of our SOCIETY. --

A couple points. Universal suffrage is a guarantee that the bad side comes to power, and the other is that sociopaths will gravitate to positions of power.

Government is by and large globalists who are taking advantage of a gullible electorate, and the gullible electorate is voting goodies for itself out of the public trough.

[Cboldt]

You got it about right. C-SPAN caught up with Schiff at the break, and he was emphatic that Trump was engaing in witness intimidation, and the House was not going to tolerate it.

Next up, criticism is an act of violence.

[hardspunned]

The unmitigated gall of this hack to bring up the murders of state department employees in Benghazi that Obama and Hitlery are 100% responsible for.

[NEMDF]

I also think that the GOP questioners should be asking EVERY “witness”: Please tell us what crime was committed by POTUS, that would be an impeachable offense. Then WAIT FOR THE LONG SILENCE.....

[UCANSEE2]

ALL should experience the same suggested fate.

Simplify their duties and return them to operating the way Ambassadors used to do. They were a conduit for messages from the head of the country they reside in. That is all we need them to do.

[hadaclueonce]

Chris Wallace spawn of Mike.
OAN it

[UCANSEE2]

She just lied. She said under oath that Lutsenko recanted.

Well.... the Media didn't mention that he hadn't recanted so I can see how she could be misinformed.