Former mafia prosecutor: It sounds like Trump associates were plotting 'a mob hit' against Marie Yovanovitch


Text messages made public on Tuesday between Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, and Robert Hyde, a donor to President Trump now running for a House seat in Connecticut, deeply disturbed former federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah.
Parnas provided the texts to lawmakers as part of the impeachment inquiry. They show that last March, Parnas and Hyde discussed then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch's movements in Kyiv, including when she was at the U.S. Embassy, when her computer and phone were off, and her security situation.
Politico's Natasha Bertrand tweeted, "This certainly makes it sound like Parnas and Co. were actively tracking Yovanovitch's movements," to which Rocah responded, "As a former mafia prosecutor, this sure sounds like a mob hit was being planned on a public servant in a foreign country by associates of the POTUS. A POTUS who said she was 'going through some things.' This takes Trump's lawlessness & misogyny to new level."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rocah is referring to Trump telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July that Yovanovitch was "going to go through some things." In April, Yovanovitch received a call from the State Department, warning there were concerns about her safety. She was recalled in May.
After the text messages were released, Yovanovitch's lawyer Lawrence Robbins issued a statement, saying, "Needless to say, the notion that American citizens and others were monitoring Ambassador Yovanovitch's movements for unknown purposes is disturbing. We trust that the appropriate authorities will conduct an investigation."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US