Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

After President Trump tweeted attacks on ex-ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch as she was testifying, House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff suggested it could be witness intimidation.

"Ambassador, you've shown the courage to come forward today and testify. Notwithstanding the fact that you were urged by the White House or State Department not to, notwithstanding the fact that as you testified earlier the President implicitly threatened you in that call record, and now the President — in realtime — is attacking you. What effect do you think that has on other witnesses willingness to come forward and expose wrongdoing?"

Yovanovitch answered: "It's very intimidating."

"It's designed to intimidate, is it not?" Schiff asked.

"I mean, I can't speak to what the President is trying to do, but I think the effect is trying to be intimidating," she said.

While the hearing was on a brief recess, Schiff told reporters it was "intimidation in real time by the President of the United States."

Some background: As Yovanovitch testified this morning, Trump tweeted attacks against her, saying, "Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad." He specifically pointed to her work in Somalia — which she described in her opening statement. (Remember: The White House said President Trump would watch Rep. Devin Nunes' opening statement — but not any of the rest of today's hearing.)