Today’s second public impeachment hearing featured former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, the career public servant who was unceremoniously dismissed by Donald Trump on May 20,2019.
During the hearing it seemed everyone – Democrats, Republicans and the witness herself – all agreed on one thing … the president has an absolute right to appoint ambassadors. Yet Ambassador Yovanovitch wondered why Trump and his allies had to mount a smear campaign to remove her from her post.
Sure, Trump could have simply recalled Yovanovitch from Ukraine with no reason given and that, most likely, would have been the end of that. But that would have been incompatible with the M.O. of a lifelong bully. No, Trump needed the pleasure of smearing and besmirching the reputation of a fine woman.
Yovanovitch testified she was “shocked and devasted” by Trump’s personal attacks on her and that she was “amazed” corrupt elements in Ukraine had found willing American partners to take her down.
Remaining true to form, Trump attacked her once again today … as she was testifying about his intimidation tactics!
Tweeted Trump:
Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad. She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors.
House Intelligence Committee chairman, Adam Schiff, decried Trump’s latest attack on Yovanovitch and called it “witness intimidation.” He seemed to imply it was one more nail in the impeachment coffin.
It appears without anyone around to stop his impulsive desire to attack anyone he sees as an enemy, Trump undermined his Republican defenders’ claim that Trump was simply exercising his presidential prerogative in replacing the ambassador.
But why would Trump, in the middle of an impeachment hearing, do such a stupid thing?
The simple answer is the man cannot help himself … just like the scorpion in “The Scorpion and Frog” fable.
Photo | bostonglobe.com
