The Effort to Discredit the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

<p>This week, we’re producing episodes of “The Daily” from The New York Times’s Washington bureau. </p><p>The impeachment inquiry is entering a pivotal phase as Congress returns from recess. The White House’s strategy to block the investigation is beginning to crumble, with five administration officials set to testify before House investigators.</p><p>On Monday, those committees heard testimony about why the president removed the longtime ambassador, Marie L. Yovanovitch, just two months before the call in which he asked the Ukrainian president for a favor. Today, we look at how Ms. Yovanovitch ended up at the center of the impeachment process. </p><p>Guests: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/sharon-lafraniere?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Sharon LaFraniere</a>, an investigative reporter based in Washington, and Rachel Quester and Clare Toeniskoetter, producers for “The Daily.” For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. </p><p>Background coverage: </p><ul><li>Marie L. Yovanovitch<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/us/politics/marie-yovanovitch-trump-impeachment.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> told House investigators</a> that she was removed from office on the basis of “false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.” </li><li>The effort to pressure Ukraine so alarmed John Bolton, then the national security adviser, that<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/us/politics/bolton-giuliani-fiona-hill-testimony.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> he told an aide to alert White House lawyers</a>. “Giuliani’s a hand grenade who’s going to blow everybody up,” an aide quoted him as saying of President Trump’s personal lawyer.</li></ul>