Article snippet: House lawmakers emerged Friday from a marathon hearing with the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine with both sides digging in on their positions for what promises to be a frenzied month as the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry advances full steam. Marie Yovanovitch, who was relieved of her post and recalled to Washington in May, delivered damning testimony in the nearly 10-hour closed-door meeting, accusing top Trump administration officials of staging "a concerted campaign” against her based on "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.” The remarks, included in an opening statement that quickly became public, gave ammunition for Democrats who are investigating whistleblower allegations that Trump had leveraged U.S. military aid to Ukraine in return for political favors from the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. "It is clear to me that she was fired because she was a thorn in the side of those who sought to use the Ukrainian government for their own political and financial gain — and that includes MORE,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), a member of the Intelligence Committee, said afterwards. “In other words, Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was fired for being honest and doing her job,” Maloney added. Maloney said that, on several occasions, Yovanovitch “became overcome with emotion and had to stop and leave the room.” But Republicans said little of the substance of Yovanovitch’s testimony and instead expressed outrage that Sp... Link to the full article to read more