A White House budget official walked into a closed session of the US House of Representatives impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump on Saturday, where he testified about the holdup of military aid to Ukraine.

Mark Sandy, a career official of the Office of Management and Budget, is the first person from OMB to testify before the inquiry after three political appointees defied congressional subpoenas to appear.

Sandy complied with a subpoena issued to compel his testimony, an official working on the impeachment inquiry said.

Trump's pressure on Ukraine is at the heart of the Democratic-led inquiry into whether the Republican president misused US foreign policy to undermine former Vice President Joe Biden, one of his potential opponents in the 2020 election.

On Friday, Trump launched a Twitter attack on a former US ambassador to Ukraine while she was testifying to an impeachment hearing in Congress, in an extraordinary moment that Democrats said amounted to witness intimidation.

Trump blasted Marie Yovanovitch, a career diplomat, as she explained on the second day of televised impeachment hearings how she had fought corruption in Ukraine and how the Trump administration abruptly removed her from her post earlier this year.

While Yovanovitch's testimony dominated headlines on Friday, closed-door deposition lawmakers held later in the day with David Holmes, an US embassy official in Kiev, could prove more consequential.

Holmes told lawmakers he overheard a phone call between Trump and Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, in which the president inquired about Ukraine's willingness to carry out investigations of Biden and his son, Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

The phone call occurred one day after the now-infamous July 25 phone conversation between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart at the heart of the impeachment probe.

"So, he's gonna do the investigation?" Trump asked Sondland, referring to Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelenskiy, according to Holmes' testimony.

"He's gonna do it," replied Sondland, adding the Ukrainian president would do "anything you ask him to," according to Holmes.

The testimony by Holmes, an aide to top US diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor, ties Trump more directly to the pressure campaign in Ukraine to investigate the Bidens led Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Holmes' statement appears to contradict Sondland's previous sworn testimony about his interactions with Trump, in which he did not mention the July 26 phone call with the president.

Sondland, who has already revised his testimony once, is scheduled to testify publicly on November 20.

Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Saturday that House leaders were considering bringing Holmes in for a public hearing.

"In that (Holmes) statement that was released there was a lot to be concerned about, particularly that more witnesses described the president's obsession with investigating his political opponents," Swalwell said.

A White House budget official walked into a closed session of the US House of Representatives impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump on Saturday, where he testified about the holdup of military aid to Ukraine.

A White House budget official walked into a closed session of the US House of Representatives impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump on Saturday, where he testified about the holdup of military aid to Ukraine. Mark Sandy, a career official of the Office of Management and Budget, is the first person from OMB to testify before the inquiry after three political appointees defied congressional subpoenas to appear. Sandy complied with a subpoena issued to compel his testimony, an official working on the impeachment inquiry said. Trump's pressure on Ukraine is at the heart of the Democratic-led inquiry into whether the Republican president misused US foreign policy to undermine former Vice President Joe Biden, one of his potential opponents in the 2020 election. On Friday, Trump launched a Twitter attack on a former US ambassador to Ukraine while she was testifying to an impeachment hearing in Congress, in an extraordinary moment that Democrats said amounted to witness intimidation. Trump blasted Marie Yovanovitch, a career diplomat, as she explained on the second day of televised impeachment hearings how she had fought corruption in Ukraine and how the Trump administration abruptly removed her from her post earlier this year. While Yovanovitch's testimony dominated headlines on Friday, closed-door deposition lawmakers held later in the day with David Holmes, an US embassy official in Kiev, could prove more consequential. Holmes told lawmakers he overheard a phone call between Trump and Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, in which the president inquired about Ukraine's willingness to carry out investigations of Biden and his son, Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. The phone call occurred one day after the now-infamous July 25 phone conversation between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart at the heart of the impeachment probe. "So, he's gonna do the investigation?" Trump asked Sondland, referring to Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelenskiy, according to Holmes' testimony. "He's gonna do it," replied Sondland, adding the Ukrainian president would do "anything you ask him to," according to Holmes. The testimony by Holmes, an aide to top US diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor, ties Trump more directly to the pressure campaign in Ukraine to investigate the Bidens led Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Holmes' statement appears to contradict Sondland's previous sworn testimony about his interactions with Trump, in which he did not mention the July 26 phone call with the president. Sondland, who has already revised his testimony once, is scheduled to testify publicly on November 20. Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Saturday that House leaders were considering bringing Holmes in for a public hearing. "In that (Holmes) statement that was released there was a lot to be concerned about, particularly that more witnesses described the president's obsession with investigating his political opponents," Swalwell said.

Trump impeachment hearing: In closed door session, White House budget official testifies on military aid to Ukraine

The second day of televised impeachment hearings opened on Friday in the US House of Representatives with the spotlight on Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine branded "bad news" by President Donald Trump before he fired her.

The session before the House Intelligence Committee is part of the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry that threatens Trump's presidency even as he seeks re-election in November 2020.

Yovanovitch was removed from her post as ambassador to Kiev in May after coming under attack by Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, at a time when he was working to persuade Ukraine to carry out two investigations that would benefit the Republican president politically.

Giuliani was trying to engineer Ukrainian investigations of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and the former US vice president's son Hunter, who had served as a board member for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory embraced by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 US election.

The focus of the impeachment inquiry is a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was elected in May, to open the investigations.

Democrats are looking into whether Trump abused his power by withholding $391 million in US security aid to Ukraine as leverage to pressure Kiev. The money, approved by the US Congress to help a US ally combat Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country, was later provided to Ukraine.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and calls the impeachment probe a sham.

"The powers of the presidency are immense, but they are not absolute and cannot be used for a corrupt purpose. The American people expect their President to use the authority they grant him in the service of the nation, not to destroy others to advance his personal or political interests," Democratic committee chairman Adam Schiff said in his opening statement.

Yovanovitch, who has worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations, told lawmakers behind closed doors on Oct. 11 that Trump ousted her based on "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives" after she came under attack by Giuliani. She also denied allegations by Trump allies that she was disloyal to him and said she did not know what Giuliani's motivations were for attacking her.

Yovanovitch said Giuliani's associates "may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine."

Trump called Yovanovitch "bad news" in the phone call to Zelenskiy and added that "she's going to go through some things," according to a White House summary of the call. Zelenskiy told Trump: "I agree with you 100 per cent" that she was a "bad ambassador."

'Go big or go home'

In her private testimony to lawmakers, Yovanovitch also described how Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, had urged her to use Twitter to express support for Trump to save her job. "He said, you know, you need to go big or go home. You need to, you know, tweet out there that you support the president," she said.

Three more public hearings are scheduled for next week.

The hearings may pave the way for the Democratic-led House to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - against Trump. That would lead to a trial in the Senate on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office. Republicans control the Senate and have shown little support for Trump's removal.

Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Intelligence Committee member, said he hoped that Republican lawmakers treat Yovanovitch fairly.

"I hope that they treat her with the dignity she deserves, the respect that she deserves. By all accounts, she was an excellent member of the foreign service," Krishnamoorthi told Reuters.

Krishnamoorthi said the evidence suggested she was removed to make way for the Trump administration's "irregular channel" of diplomacy in crafting Ukraine policy personally beneficial to Trump in which Giuliani played a central role along with diplomats Sondland and Kurt Volker, as well as Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

The hearing comes a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Trump already had admitted to bribery in the Ukraine scandal.

"The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of a fake investigation into the elections," Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, told a news conference.

Pelosi's comments could offer a preview of articles of impeachment Democrats might put forward.

Two other career U.S. diplomats, William Taylor and George Kent, testified on Wednesday in the first public hearing, expressing alarm over the pressure tactics on Ukraine by Giuliani for investigations that would benefit Trump politically.

Taylor is acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. His aide David Holmes, who Taylor said overheard a July 26 telephone conversation in which Trump asked Sondland about progress in getting the Ukrainians to do the investigations, is due to appear before lawmakers in a private session on Friday. 
&nbsp;

The second day of televised impeachment hearings opened on Friday in the US House of Representatives with the spotlight on Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine branded "bad news" by President Donald Trump before he fired her.

The second day of televised impeachment hearings opened on Friday in the US House of Representatives with the spotlight on Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine branded "bad news" by President Donald Trump before he fired her. The session before the House Intelligence Committee is part of the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry that threatens Trump's presidency even as he seeks re-election in November 2020. Yovanovitch was removed from her post as ambassador to Kiev in May after coming under attack by Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, at a time when he was working to persuade Ukraine to carry out two investigations that would benefit the Republican president politically. Giuliani was trying to engineer Ukrainian investigations of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and the former US vice president's son Hunter, who had served as a board member for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory embraced by some Trump allies that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 US election. The focus of the impeachment inquiry is a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was elected in May, to open the investigations. Democrats are looking into whether Trump abused his power by withholding $391 million in US security aid to Ukraine as leverage to pressure Kiev. The money, approved by the US Congress to help a US ally combat Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country, was later provided to Ukraine. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and calls the impeachment probe a sham. "The powers of the presidency are immense, but they are not absolute and cannot be used for a corrupt purpose. The American people expect their President to use the authority they grant him in the service of the nation, not to destroy others to advance his personal or political interests," Democratic committee chairman Adam Schiff said in his opening statement. Yovanovitch, who has worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations, told lawmakers behind closed doors on Oct. 11 that Trump ousted her based on "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives" after she came under attack by Giuliani. She also denied allegations by Trump allies that she was disloyal to him and said she did not know what Giuliani's motivations were for attacking her. Yovanovitch said Giuliani's associates "may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine." Trump called Yovanovitch "bad news" in the phone call to Zelenskiy and added that "she's going to go through some things," according to a White House summary of the call. Zelenskiy told Trump: "I agree with you 100 per cent" that she was a "bad ambassador." 'Go big or go home' In her private testimony to lawmakers, Yovanovitch also described how Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, had urged her to use Twitter to express support for Trump to save her job. "He said, you know, you need to go big or go home. You need to, you know, tweet out there that you support the president," she said. Three more public hearings are scheduled for next week. The hearings may pave the way for the Democratic-led House to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - against Trump. That would lead to a trial in the Senate on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office. Republicans control the Senate and have shown little support for Trump's removal. Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Intelligence Committee member, said he hoped that Republican lawmakers treat Yovanovitch fairly. "I hope that they treat her with the dignity she deserves, the respect that she deserves. By all accounts, she was an excellent member of the foreign service," Krishnamoorthi told Reuters. Krishnamoorthi said the evidence suggested she was removed to make way for the Trump administration's "irregular channel" of diplomacy in crafting Ukraine policy personally beneficial to Trump in which Giuliani played a central role along with diplomats Sondland and Kurt Volker, as well as Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The hearing comes a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Trump already had admitted to bribery in the Ukraine scandal. "The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of a fake investigation into the elections," Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, told a news conference. Pelosi's comments could offer a preview of articles of impeachment Democrats might put forward. Two other career U.S. diplomats, William Taylor and George Kent, testified on Wednesday in the first public hearing, expressing alarm over the pressure tactics on Ukraine by Giuliani for investigations that would benefit Trump politically. Taylor is acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. His aide David Holmes, who Taylor said overheard a July 26 telephone conversation in which Trump asked Sondland about progress in getting the Ukrainians to do the investigations, is due to appear before lawmakers in a private session on Friday.

At impeachment hearing, Democrat Schiff asks if Trump used power 'for corrupt purpose'

Premier League giants Manchester United will look to bounce back from their woeful defeat against Crystal Palace as they prepare for their first Champions League home game of the season. The contest taking place at Old Trafford will see Erik ten Hag under pressure having lost four Premier League matches and their Champions League curtain-raiser against Bayern Munich. Tuesday (Oct 3) evening will also see record champions Real Madrid in action as they take on coach Carlo Ancelotti’s former side Napoli.

<h2>United on the hunt</h2>

Having endured a tough start to the Premier League, United will face a resolute Galatasaray side that will travel to Manchester with a bunch of former Premier League stars. Ten Hag’s side lost 3-4 against Bayern Munich on Matchday 1 where United struggled with the pace of the opposition. The three-time champions will have Antony back in the squad while Lisandro Martinez will be unavailable due to injury.

Galatasaray on the flip side have Premier League outcasts like Davinson Sanchez and Wilfried Zaha while they will bank on the services of Mauro Icardi. A defeat for United could see Ten Hag as a big problem while a win will be the perfect solution for the club as go through a torrid time.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/exclusive-want-to-set-new-benchmark-for-women-athletes-in-india-jyothi-yarraji-after-asian-games-success-641743">EXCLUSIVE | Want to set new benchmark for women athletes in India - Jyothi Yarraji after Asian Games success</a>

<h2>Other big matches on offer</h2>

In other big matches, Real Madrid will look to carry on with their winning momentum as they take on Italian champions Napoli. Carlo Ancelotti will take on his former side with an aim to win the group. Both teams are hot favourites to go through from the group with Union Berlin and Braga also buying for places.

Bayern Munich will travel to Copenhagen for their second group match with an eye on the top spot. Harry Kane will look to add to his Champions League tally having scored in the first group game while eyes will also be on Thomas Muller and top names. Former champions and last season’s runners-up Inter Milan will host Benfica while PSV, Sevilla, Lens, and Arsenal will be in action on Matchday 2.

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Premier League giants Manchester United will look to bounce back from their woeful defeat against Crystal Palace as they prepare for their first Champions League home game of the season.

Premier League giants Manchester United will look to bounce back from their woeful defeat against Crystal Palace as they prepare for their first Champions League home game of the season. The contest taking place at Old Trafford will see Erik ten Hag under pressure having lost four Premier League matches and their Champions League curtain-raiser against Bayern Munich. Tuesday (Oct 3) evening will also see record champions Real Madrid in action as they take on coach Carlo Ancelotti’s former side Napoli. United on the hunt Having endured a tough start to the Premier League, United will face a resolute Galatasaray side that will travel to Manchester with a bunch of former Premier League stars. Ten Hag’s side lost 3-4 against Bayern Munich on Matchday 1 where United struggled with the pace of the opposition. The three-time champions will have Antony back in the squad while Lisandro Martinez will be unavailable due to injury. Galatasaray on the flip side have Premier League outcasts like Davinson Sanchez and Wilfried Zaha while they will bank on the services of Mauro Icardi. A defeat for United could see Ten Hag as a big problem while a win will be the perfect solution for the club as go through a torrid time. ALSO READ | EXCLUSIVE | Want to set new benchmark for women athletes in India - Jyothi Yarraji after Asian Games success Other big matches on offer In other big matches, Real Madrid will look to carry on with their winning momentum as they take on Italian champions Napoli. Carlo Ancelotti will take on his former side with an aim to win the group. Both teams are hot favourites to go through from the group with Union Berlin and Braga also buying for places. Bayern Munich will travel to Copenhagen for their second group match with an eye on the top spot. Harry Kane will look to add to his Champions League tally having scored in the first group game while eyes will also be on Thomas Muller and top names. Former champions and last season’s runners-up Inter Milan will host Benfica while PSV, Sevilla, Lens, and Arsenal will be in action on Matchday 2. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

US diplomat tells impeachment probe she was urged to tweet support for Trump

The former US ambassador to Ukraine on Friday told a House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-host-first-post-impeachment-inquiry-rally-in-democratic-stronghold-255010">President Donald Trump</a> that Trump ousted her based on "unfounded and false claims" after she had come under attack by his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Marie Yovanovitch, the ambassador who was abruptly recalled from Kiev in May, spent more than nine hours in a closed-door meeting with House members and staff. She had been expected to appear last week, but was told not to by the State Department at the behest of the White House, according to Democratic House members. Lawmakers then issued a subpoena for her appearance and she complied.

Yovanovitch, according to a copy of her opening statement posted online by US media, said she was told by a senior State Department official about "a concerted campaign against me" and said Trump had pushed for her removal since the middle of 2018 even though the department believed "I had done nothing wrong."

She expressed alarm over damage to diplomacy under Trump and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-businessmen-linked-to-trump-ukraine-scandal-arrested-on-us-charges-255065">warned about "private interests"</a> circumventing "professional diplomats for their own gain, not the public good."

The impeachment inquiry focuses on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate a leading rival seeking to face Trump in the 2020 presidential election, former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden's businessman son Hunter Biden.

Giuliani has accused Yovanovitch of blocking efforts to persuade Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. The former New York mayor has said he provided information to both Trump and State about Yovanovitch, who he suggested was biased against Trump.

On Friday, Giuliani said: "I was doing it in my role as a defence lawyer" for Trump.

Trump was asked on Friday whether Giuliani was still his personal attorney. He answered, "I don't know."

A person familiar with the situation said Giuliani was still Trump's outside counsel, but would not represent him on matters dealing with Ukraine.

In her statement, Yovanovitch denied any bias. She said Giuliani's associates "may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine."

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his dealings in Ukraine, the New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with the inquiry.

On Thursday, two businessmen, Ukraine-born Lev Parnas and Belarus-born Igor Fruman, who helped Giuliani as he investigated Biden, were arrested in what US prosecutors called a scheme to illegally funnel money to a pro-Trump election committee and other political candidates.

The Times said the investigation of Giuliani is tied to the case against Parnas and Fruman.

Asked about the Times report, Giuliani told Reuters: "I never did any lobbying for anyone. If they want to ask me I’m happy to prove it. But they haven’t." A spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office declined to comment.

'Clown show'

Democrats have called Yovanovitch's removal politically motivated.

Democratic Representative Denny Heck said he was gripped by Yovanovitch's testimony. "It was that amazing, that powerful, that impactful. And I just feel very fortunate to have been there," he told reporters.

Republicans were critical. Representative Lee Zeldin called Yovanovitch's testimony a "clown show."

According to a White House summary, Trump in his call to Zelenskiy said of Yovanovitch: "the woman was bad news and the people she was dealing with in Ukraine were bad news." Zelenskiy agreed she was a "bad ambassador" and agreed to investigate the Bidens.

The conversation occurred after Trump withheld $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine as it faced Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country.

"Although I understand that I served at the pleasure of the president, I was nevertheless incredulous that the US government chose to remove an Ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives," Yovanovitch said in her statement.

Yovanovitch, who entered the Capitol complex for the deposition wearing dark glasses, did not respond to questions.

Yovanovitch has worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations and has had support from members of both parties in Congress. A senior Republican congressional aide described her as someone widely viewed as "professional."

Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring vulnerable ally Ukraine to dig up dirt on a rival for his own political benefit. Biden is a leading Democratic contender seeking his party's nomination to face Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

Democrats have also criticized the Trump administration for what they see as efforts to obstruct the investigation. After Yovanovitch's testimony, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff warned that interfering in the probe would show "the president is violating the constitutional separation of powers and seeking to cover up his misconduct."

He said Yovanovitch had been "a model diplomat and deserves better than the shabby treatment she received from the president and the Secretary of State."

'Potty mouth'

As Yovanovitch spoke to the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that the administration would comply with the law.

"We're going to do everything we're lawfully required to do," Pompeo said in an interview with WKRN-TV in Nashville.

The investigation could lead to the approval of articles of impeachment - or formal charges against the president - in the House. A trial on whether to remove Trump from office would then be held in the Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans who control the chamber have shown little appetite for ousting him.

In a call with her fellow House Democrats on Friday afternoon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the investigation was about finding facts, not Trump's personality, although she said Trump "has become a potty mouth and children are listening."

"His policy, his personality, his potty-mouth, that's about the election," Pelosi said, according to an aide who was on the call. "The inquiry is because he has not honoured his oath of office. We will honour ours."

Trump had told a rally on Thursday that Biden "was only a good vice president because he knew how to kiss (former President) Barack Obama's ass."

Yovanovitch said the United States' allowing Russian aggression toward Ukraine would "set a precedent that the United States will regret for decades to come."

"Today, we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within. State Department leadership, with Congress, needs to take action now to defend this great institution, and its thousands of loyal and effective employees," she said.

Depositions are scheduled in the coming days with more witnesses, including Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian Affairs on Trump's National Security Council, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent and State Department Counsellor Ulrich Brechbuhl.

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, will comply with a subpoena and testify on Thursday, his lawyers said, despite the White House policy against cooperation. But Sondland is not yet authorized to release documents the committees have sought, his lawyers said.

The former US ambassador to Ukraine on Friday told a House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump that Trump ousted her based on "unfounded and false claims" after she had come under attack by his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The former US ambassador to Ukraine on Friday told a House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump that Trump ousted her based on "unfounded and false claims" after she had come under attack by his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Marie Yovanovitch, the ambassador who was abruptly recalled from Kiev in May, spent more than nine hours in a closed-door meeting with House members and staff. She had been expected to appear last week, but was told not to by the State Department at the behest of the White House, according to Democratic House members. Lawmakers then issued a subpoena for her appearance and she complied. Yovanovitch, according to a copy of her opening statement posted online by US media, said she was told by a senior State Department official about "a concerted campaign against me" and said Trump had pushed for her removal since the middle of 2018 even though the department believed "I had done nothing wrong." She expressed alarm over damage to diplomacy under Trump and warned about "private interests" circumventing "professional diplomats for their own gain, not the public good." The impeachment inquiry focuses on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate a leading rival seeking to face Trump in the 2020 presidential election, former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden's businessman son Hunter Biden. Giuliani has accused Yovanovitch of blocking efforts to persuade Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. The former New York mayor has said he provided information to both Trump and State about Yovanovitch, who he suggested was biased against Trump. On Friday, Giuliani said: "I was doing it in my role as a defence lawyer" for Trump. Trump was asked on Friday whether Giuliani was still his personal attorney. He answered, "I don't know." A person familiar with the situation said Giuliani was still Trump's outside counsel, but would not represent him on matters dealing with Ukraine. In her statement, Yovanovitch denied any bias. She said Giuliani's associates "may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine." Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his dealings in Ukraine, the New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with the inquiry. On Thursday, two businessmen, Ukraine-born Lev Parnas and Belarus-born Igor Fruman, who helped Giuliani as he investigated Biden, were arrested in what US prosecutors called a scheme to illegally funnel money to a pro-Trump election committee and other political candidates. The Times said the investigation of Giuliani is tied to the case against Parnas and Fruman. Asked about the Times report, Giuliani told Reuters: "I never did any lobbying for anyone. If they want to ask me I’m happy to prove it. But they haven’t." A spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office declined to comment. 'Clown show' Democrats have called Yovanovitch's removal politically motivated. Democratic Representative Denny Heck said he was gripped by Yovanovitch's testimony. "It was that amazing, that powerful, that impactful. And I just feel very fortunate to have been there," he told reporters. Republicans were critical. Representative Lee Zeldin called Yovanovitch's testimony a "clown show." According to a White House summary, Trump in his call to Zelenskiy said of Yovanovitch: "the woman was bad news and the people she was dealing with in Ukraine were bad news." Zelenskiy agreed she was a "bad ambassador" and agreed to investigate the Bidens. The conversation occurred after Trump withheld $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine as it faced Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country. "Although I understand that I served at the pleasure of the president, I was nevertheless incredulous that the US government chose to remove an Ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives," Yovanovitch said in her statement. Yovanovitch, who entered the Capitol complex for the deposition wearing dark glasses, did not respond to questions. Yovanovitch has worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations and has had support from members of both parties in Congress. A senior Republican congressional aide described her as someone widely viewed as "professional." Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring vulnerable ally Ukraine to dig up dirt on a rival for his own political benefit. Biden is a leading Democratic contender seeking his party's nomination to face Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump has denied wrongdoing. Democrats have also criticized the Trump administration for what they see as efforts to obstruct the investigation. After Yovanovitch's testimony, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff warned that interfering in the probe would show "the president is violating the constitutional separation of powers and seeking to cover up his misconduct." He said Yovanovitch had been "a model diplomat and deserves better than the shabby treatment she received from the president and the Secretary of State." 'Potty mouth' As Yovanovitch spoke to the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that the administration would comply with the law. "We're going to do everything we're lawfully required to do," Pompeo said in an interview with WKRN-TV in Nashville. The investigation could lead to the approval of articles of impeachment - or formal charges against the president - in the House. A trial on whether to remove Trump from office would then be held in the Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans who control the chamber have shown little appetite for ousting him. In a call with her fellow House Democrats on Friday afternoon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the investigation was about finding facts, not Trump's personality, although she said Trump "has become a potty mouth and children are listening." "His policy, his personality, his potty-mouth, that's about the election," Pelosi said, according to an aide who was on the call. "The inquiry is because he has not honoured his oath of office. We will honour ours." Trump had told a rally on Thursday that Biden "was only a good vice president because he knew how to kiss (former President) Barack Obama's ass." Yovanovitch said the United States' allowing Russian aggression toward Ukraine would "set a precedent that the United States will regret for decades to come." "Today, we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within. State Department leadership, with Congress, needs to take action now to defend this great institution, and its thousands of loyal and effective employees," she said. Depositions are scheduled in the coming days with more witnesses, including Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian Affairs on Trump's National Security Council, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent and State Department Counsellor Ulrich Brechbuhl. Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, will comply with a subpoena and testify on Thursday, his lawyers said, despite the White House policy against cooperation. But Sondland is not yet authorized to release documents the committees have sought, his lawyers said.

Former US ambassador to Ukraine tells impeachment inquiry Trump ousted her based on 'false claims'