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.
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Trump, Musk sink spending bill, teeing up shutdown
Speed Read House Republicans abandoned the bill at the behest of the two men
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress reaches spending deal to avert shutdown
Speed Read The bill would fund the government through March 14, 2025
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Luigi Mangione charged with murder, terrorism
Speed Read Magnione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ex-FBI informant pleads guilty to lying about Bidens
Speed Read Alexander Smirnov claimed that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter were involved in a bribery scheme with Ukrainian energy company Burisma
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
South Korea impeaches president, eyes charges
Speed Read Yoon Suk Yeol faces investigations on potential insurrection and abuse of power charges
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden sets new clemency record, hints at more
Speed Read President Joe Biden commuted a record 1,499 sentences and pardoned 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mysterious drones roil New Jersey, prompt FBI inquiry
Speed Read State and federal officials are both stumped and concerned
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Korean president vows to fight removal
Speed Read Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree and said he will not step down, despite impeachment efforts
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published