Devin Nunes: 'We were ready' to bring in witnesses to show Marie Yovanovitch was anti-Trump

Marie Yovanovitch was fortunate that House Republicans could not bring in additional witnesses to prove her hatred for President Trump, according to Rep. Devin Nunes. The House Intelligence Committee ranking member remarked on the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during an interview on Fox News one day after Trump was acquitted on two Ukraine-related articles of impeachment. “There's a reason why she got fired,” the California Republican said Thursday evening. “This is one of the things we could never really get out because we couldn't bring in witnesses, but you know, we had people that we were ready to bring in that said that she was anti-Trump, espousing anti-Trump administration views while she was Ambassador to Ukraine. That’s her boss.” Nunes added, “She's lucky we couldn't bring any actual witnesses in because there are people that wanted to testify against her.”

Yovanovitch was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine before Trump had her recalled from the post in May 2019, and she has since retired from the foreign service. She had become the target of Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others who accused her of being a political enemy of the White House. During impeachment proceedings in the House, Yovanovitch testified that a superior told her that she had done nothing wrong but that Trump had lost faith in her. She also condemned the “smear campaign” against her, saying allegations that she put together a “do not prosecute” list were a “fabrication” and denying claims that she had told anyone at the embassy or in Ukraine that Trump’s orders should be ignored.

On Thursday, Yovanovitch had an opinion piece published describing the “turbulent times” she faced at the end of her career in the State Department. She referred to Trump as an “individual transgressor” from whom America’s diplomatic institutions need protection, adding that “we must not allow the United States to become a country where standing up to our government is a dangerous act.”

As Nunes mentioned, Republicans did not have the votes to bring forward witnesses who could contradict her impeachment testimony because they are not in the majority in the House. “We don’t have subpoena power. So if they don’t give us witnesses, that’s the whole — I mean we talked about this last time,” Nunes said, adding, “We’ve got to win back the majority.” Senate Democrats felt similarly disenfranchised by being in the minority. They tried to force the Senate to hear from additional impeachment witnesses during the trial but failed to earn enough support from Republicans to make that happen. Trump was acquitted on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Wednesday.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/devin-nunes-we-were-ready-to-bring-in-witnesses-to-show-marie-yovanovitch-was-anti-trump

Marie Yovanovitch warns US against becoming country where ‘standing up to our government is a dangerous act’

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/marie-yovanovitch-warns-us-against-becoming-country-where-standing-up-to-our-government-is-a-dangerous-act

Trump talks with Xi about coronavirus as Chinese scientists track possible outbreak origin to pangolins

President Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the deadly coronavirus as officials look to determine its source and how to contain it. "Just had a long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China. He is strong, sharp and powerfully focused on leading the counterattack on the Coronavirus," Trump said in a Friday tweet morning. "He feels they are doing very well, even building hospitals in a matter of only days. Nothing is easy, but he will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone." "Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!" the president added.

Chinese researchers said this week that the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, could have started with the pangolins, the only mammal in the world covered in scales. They are also the most highly trafficked mammal in the world and are in high demand in Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine. "This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin (of the virus)," South China Agricultural University said in a statement. Researchers think the virus could have gone from bats to humans via the pangolins in the Wuhan market where live animals are sold. China's state-run news agency called the pangolins "the most likely intermediate host" as a strain of coronavirus linked to them had a 99% identical genome sequence.

The coronavirus death toll topped over 600 as Chinese officials reported over 3,000 new cases Thursday. So far, over 30,000 people have gotten the disease worldwide since the start of the outbreak, including in the United States.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-talks-with-xi-about-coronavirus-as-chinese-scientists-track-possible-outbreak-origin-to-pangolins

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1225728756456808448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Scientists question work suggesting pangolin coronavirus link

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-pangolins/china-scientists-identify-pangolin-as-possible-coronavirus-host-idUSKBN2010XA