'UNPRECEDENTED THREAT'
House Foreign Affairs Chair Now Investigating Alleged Threats to Former Ukraine Ambassador From Giuliani Associate and Trump Donor

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel has just announced he is investigating the alleged, jaw-dropping threats against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. Those threats, which include a disturbing series of text messages (below) were apparently made by Lev Parnas (photo), a former Giuliani associate who has been arrested and charged with campaign finance crimes, and Robert Hyde, a Trump donor and Republican congressional candidate.
“Documents turned over to the Intelligence Committee by Lev Parnas include a profoundly alarming dialogue between Mr. Parnas and Robert Hyde, a Trump donor,” Chairman Engel said in a statement Wednesday. “The messages suggest a possible risk to Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s security in Kyiv before she was recalled from her post last year. These threats occurred at the same time that the two men were also discussing President Trump’s efforts, through Rudy Giuliani, to smear the ambassador’s reputation.”
Today, I will convey a formal request for documents, information, and a briefing from senior officials related to this matter.
This unprecedented threat to our diplomats must be thoroughly investigated and, if warranted, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. https://t.co/QmJjnmbYJf
— Eliot Engel (@RepEliotEngel) January 15, 2020
Politico national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand tweeted images of the alarming texts Tuesday evening:
Um holy sh*t. This certainly makes it sound like Parnas and co. were actively tracking Yovanovitch’s movements. This could explain why Yovanovitch was moved out of Ukraine so quickly. https://t.co/4rBRB06ZGN pic.twitter.com/5Gc8WcGPih
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 14, 2020
Among them are these disturbing texts:
“Can’t believe [Trump] hasn’t fired this bitch … They are willing to help if we/you would like a price” — texts about then-Ambassador Yovanovitch from a thug who has spent time with Trump and appeared to be working on behalf of Giuliani, to one of Giuliani’s Ukraine fixers pic.twitter.com/BJSMcV9zYZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2020
Hyde, the Trump donor who allegedly was part of the text conversation, defended himself via this tweet:
How low can liddle Adam Bull Schiff go? I was never in Kiev. For them to take some texts my buddy’s and I wrote back to some dweeb we were playing with that we met a few times while we had a few drinks is definitely laughable. Schiff is a desperate turd playing with this Lev guy.
— HYDE for U.S. Congress (@rfhyde1) January 15, 2020
And more recently, this one:
Liddle Adam Bull Schiff and the Standard Hotel, I wasn’t there either or was I… #fuckadamschiff
— HYDE for U.S. Congress (@rfhyde1) January 15, 2020
Image via Twitter

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