Rep. Adam Schiff accused President Donald Trump of witness intimidation over a tweet he published during the testimony of former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch during her congressional testimony on Friday, signaling that Democrats could use the charge in their push to impeach the president.
In a dramatic moment during Yovanovitch’s testimony, Schiff read aloud a tweet that Trump published while the career diplomat was testifying.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1195356198347956224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer
Schiff asserted that the tweet rose to the level of possible witness intimidation, even though Yovanovitch was not aware of the remarks until notified by Schiff.
“As we sit here testifying the president is attacking you on Twitter,” Schiff said.
“It’s designed to intimidate, is it not?” he asked after reading the tweet.
Schiff then previewed one direction he might take in the impeachment proceedings against Trump.
“I want to let you know, ambassador, that some of us here take witness intimidation very, very seriously,” he said.
Democrats have suggested so far during the impeachment inquiry that Trump abused his office in his dealings towards Ukraine. The investigation centers on whether Trump pressured the Ukrainian government to open investigations into a company linked to Hunter Biden, as well as into whether Ukrainians meddled in the 2016 presidential election to help Hillary Clinton.
Democrats have not said exactly what high crimes and misdemeanors they believe Trump committed, though some have hinted at the crimes of bribery or extortion.
Schiff reiterated the witness intimidation allegation during an intermission in Yovanovitch’s testimony.
“We saw today witness intimidation in real time by the President of the United States, once again going after this dedicated, respected, career public servant in an effort not only to chill her, but to chill others who might come forward,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju.
“We take this kind of witness intimidation…very seriously.”
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
China’s Ministry of State Security vowed on Monday to stop “Taiwan independence” in a rare message…
Fox News analyst Gregg Jarrett accused prosecutors working for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of…
Last Friday, the Biden administration quietly dropped 1,577 pages of regulations that redefine sex to include…
German-based grocer Aldi has seen an uptick in its American business over the last year…
Forget the $500 hammer. The newest report from the Government Accountability Office puts the cost of…
The United Nations (U.N.) selected China — a country that perpetrates genocide and crimes against…