Donald Trump Impeachment Inquiry Testimony Reveals John Bolton Reportedly Warned White House About Ukraine
The House’s impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump continued Monday, this time with testimony from Fiona Hill, Trump’s former advisor on Russia and Europe, reported The New York Times.
Hill chose to give her testimony behind closed doors, meaning that the full transcript of what she said may not ever become available to the public. However, sources familiar with the situation said Hill detailed much of what was going on in Ukraine throughout her 10-hour testimony.
During her statement, Hill reportedly told lawmakers that she confronted Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, about Rudy Giuliani‘s involvement in U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine, according to The Washington Post. She also said she wasn’t the only one to exchange words with the ambassador. The New York Times reported that, in her testimony, Hill stated that former National Security Advisor John Bolton confronted the ambassador on July 10 in a “heated confrontation” that apparently was so bad, Bolton decided to take action.
After his argument with Sondland, Bolton reportedly told an aide to inform the White House lawyers about a “rogue operation” Giuliani was conducting in Ukraine, alongside acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Hill went on to say Bolton told her to inform the chief lawyer of the National Security Council that he wasn’t involved in “whatever drug deal Rudy and Mulvaney are cooking up.” Hill continued her testimony, saying that Bolton also informed her the former NYC mayor was a “hand grenade” just waiting to blow everybody up.
The former National Security Advisor wasn’t the only government official Hill talked about either. She also made mention of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, The Washington Post reported. Hill apparently said she was “infuriated” by Yovanovitch’s recall, saying that the former ambassador was the victim of a political hit. Yovanovitch, who was known for fighting corruption, was reportedly ousted from her position because she was causing problems for Giuliani and his business ventures.
Giuliani, for his part, said he had nothing to do with Yovanovitch’s recall and said he didn’t know Hill. The former mayor went on to say his contact with Ukrainian officials was sanctioned from the State Department and that Hill must have been out of the loop. In response to Hill calling Giuliani’s actions a “shadow foreign policy,” he said he reported everything back to the White House, and there was “nothing shadowy about it.”
Hill’s testimony is only the first of a few that are scheduled to take place this coming week. Aside from Sondland’s testimony on Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent is set to speak to Congress tomorrow. Kent’s area of operation included Ukraine, and he has often been the subject of negative press from conservative media and Giuliani himself, who claim that Kent is working to undermine the White House’s efforts overseas at the behest of George Soros.
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