Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Getty Images

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff accused President Trump of “witness intimidation in real time” during Friday’s impeachment hearings after the president tweeted an attack on Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, while she was testifying to Congress.

Trump sent the tweet at 10:01 a.m., accusing Yovanovitch of failing in her posts as a diplomat in Somalia and Ukraine. “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad,” Trump wrote.

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. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2019

....They call it “serving at the pleasure of the President.” The U.S. now has a very strong and powerful foreign policy, much different than proceeding administrations. It is called, quite simply, America First! With all of that, however, I have done FAR more for Ukraine than O. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2019

Minutes later, Schiff interrupted questions from Democratic counsel Daniel Goldman to ask Yovanovitch about the tweets.

“Would you like to respond to the president’s attack that everywhere you went turned bad?” Schiff asked after reading parts of the tweets to her.

“I don’t think I have such powers,” Yovanovitch responded. “I actually think that where I served over the years, I and others, have demonstrably made things better.”

Schiff then turned Trump’s motivation in sending the tweets. “What effect do you think that has on other witnesses willingness to come forward and expose wrongdoing?”

“It’s very intimidating,” Yovanovitch said.

Schiff added, “Some of us here take witness intimidation very, very seriously.”

Schiff on Trump attacking witnesses as they testify before impeachment investigators: "I want to let you know, ambassador, that some of us here take witness intimidation very, very seriously." pic.twitter.com/JLT9yN57cc — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 15, 2019

Trump’s defenders were quick to dismiss the charge, with Representative Lee Zeldin noting that Yovanovich was unaware that she’d been attacked by the president until Schiff read the tweets to her:

GOP Rep Lee Zeldin says on C-Span that Trump's tweets this morning weren't witness intimidation because ``Ambassador Yovanovitch wasn't on twitter'' at the time, and the only reason she knows that Trump tweeted about her is because Adam Schiff told her. — Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) November 15, 2019

But during a break, Schiff elaborated on his point, telling reporters that Trump’s attack wasn’t just about Yovanovich, it was about sending a signal to future witnesses:

What we saw today is, it wasn’t enough that Ambassador Yovanovitch was smeared, it wasn’t enough that she was attacked, it wasn’t enough that she was recalled for no reason, at least no good reason … But we saw today, witness intimidation in real time by the President of the United States, once again going after this dedicated and respected career public servant in an effort to not only chill her, but to chill others who may come forward. We take this kind of witness intimidation and obstruction of inquiry very seriously.

Schiff’s reading of Trump’s tweets was the most dramatic moment yet in the impeachment hearings, which were criticized early this week for lacking pizzazz. But Yovanovitch was already a compelling witness and Trump’s attack only made her seem more sympathetic, and him more petulant.

There’s also the small detail of the president of the United States attempting to intimidate a witness while the whole country is watching. There’s speculation on the left and the right – bolstered by Schiff’s reference to “obstruction of inquiry’ – that that this will show up in the articles of impeachment against Trump.

That was a turning point in this hearing so far. She was already a sympathetic witness & the President’s tweet ripping her allowed Schiff to point it out real time characterizing it as witness tampering or intimidation -adding an article of impeachment real-time. https://t.co/HSCkGMIqmH — Bret Baier (@BretBaier) November 15, 2019

Ken Starr on Fox News: “The president was not advised by counsel in deciding to do this tweet. Extraordinarily poor judgment… Obviously this was quite injurious.” — James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) November 15, 2019

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