8:43 p.m. ET, October 11, 2019
Schiff says Yovanovitch is a "model diplomat" and "courageous example for others"
From CNN's Sunlen Serfaty, Manu Raju and Ellie Kaufman
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff speaks with reporters after meeting with former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Capitol Hill on Oct. 11, 2019, in Washington.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, briefly spoke to reporters after ex-ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s deposition ended.
Schiff called Yovanovitch a “model diplomat” and expressed gratitude and “appreciation” for her coming to testify before members today.
“I think she’s been a model diplomat who deserves better than the shabby treatment she received from this President and Secretary of State, so I think we’re all deeply in her debt for representing the country so well around the world and for so long,” he said of the former US ambassador to Ukraine. “I want to express my appreciation for not just what a great champion she was for the rule of law in Ukraine, but also the respect she has for the rule of law here at home.”
Schiff continued: “I think she is a courageous example for others, and I think all the members were extraordinarily impressed with her testimony today.”
“We will continue to talk to witnesses, not withstanding the administration’s consistent efforts to obstruct our investigation," he added.
Schiff said any of the administration’s efforts to prevent witnesses from obeying lawful congressional subpoenas will be deemed “acts of obstruction and add to a body of evidence that continues to grow that the President is violating the constitutional separation of powers.”