WATCH: Holmes says Giuliani had a ‘direct influence’ on U.S. policy in Ukraine
David Holmes, a top staffer at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, told House lawmakers on Nov. 21 that after Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was removed from her post, it “quickly became clear that the White House was not prepared to show the level of support for the [Volodymyr] Zelensky administration that we had originally anticipated.” Speaking during the fifth day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Holmes also said he became aware of how Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “was taking a direct role in Ukrainian diplomacy.” “Over the following months, it became apparent that Mr. Giuliani was having a direct influence on the foreign policy agenda” in Ukraine, Holmes said. Holmes also recounted that during a meeting, someone asked why Giuliani was “so active with the media” in regards to Ukraine. “My recollection is that Ambassador [Gordon] Sondland stated, ‘Dammit Rudy. Every time Rudy gets involved he goes and f—s everything up.'”
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