i have known marie yovanovitch for a long time. great respect for her. as does the entire international affairs community. even more so now, she has demonstrated the kind of toughness, the honesty, the bravery and what she owe has do. especially in ukraine. she is attacked and stood up for our strong support of anticorruption networks in ukraine. whenever you go against corrupt officials, you get pushback and lashed back into even get threats which she has gotten. great respect for her, colone cl vindman, here's lieutenant colonel in the army doing his job, doing his important job in the national security council, not getting out of his lane, focusing on what he supposed to be doing and doing it well. i had not known him before i was after this last time, i interacted with him a whole lot during the time i was out there and he's always professional and supportive fiona hill, another hero and was able to provide her with information that she needed. so those two people that you asked about are going to do fine. i think they will be fine marie yovanovitch

marie yovanovitch, u.s. ambassador who was bizarrely and unfairly targeted by the president's allies, and by the president himself lost her job as u.s. ambassador because of it. her career is now over too. she is now retired and gone from the state department, and it is not hard to see why given what they unleashed on her after her testimony. ambassador bill taylor who was called out of retirement as basically a favor to fill in for her in ukraine, he made the mistake of testifying too. he's been yanked out of that post as well. even the ones who might have thought they had some trump insurance, ambassador john bolton, trump appointee as national security adviser. he decided he wouldn't testify, told house impeachment investigators he wouldn't do it. decided instead he would write it all in a book. for his trouble the white house is saying they will block the publication of his book and the president is reportedly trying to arrange some convenient criminal prosecution of john bolton. ambassador gordon sondla

ambassador marie yovanovitch may have been under physical surveillance. robert hyde, a trump supporter and congressional candidate claimed to have contact with a private security team monitoring the ambassador's moves and communications >> he's talking about marie yovanovitch, the ambassador he says, "she's under heavy protection she's talked to three people her phone is off her computer is off. they'll let me know when she's on the move. then later that day, "they're willing to help. if you 'we' would like a price." >> seth: holy [ bleep ]. this idiot literally wrote in a text message that his guys were willing to help if you would like a price these guys are a lot dumber than the criminals on tv. those criminals are always using burner phones and switching cars, meeting in back alleys in real life, these guys were texting each other and putting up posters on telephone poles that said, "looking for thugs to do crimes. [ laughter ] this is for trump as citizen, not as president he is my friend. here's a picture of us." [ applause ] so all, every bit of th

marie yovanovitch, u.s. ambassador, who was bizarrely and unfairly targeted by the president's allies and by the president himself, lost her job as u.s. ambassador because of it, her career is now over too. she is now retired and gone from the state department. and it is not hard to see why. given what they unleashed on her after her testimony. ambassador bill taylor, who was called out of retirement as basically a favor to the trump state department to go fill in for her in ukraine, he made the mistake of testifying truthfully too. now he's been yanked out of that post as well. i mean, even the ones who might have thought they had some, you know, trump insurance. ambassador john bolton, trump appointee, national security adviser, he decided he wouldn't testify. told house impeachment investigators no, no, he wouldn't do it. decided instead he would write it all in a book. well, for his trouble the white house is now saying they will block the publication of his book and the president is reportedly trying to

marie yovanovitch was removed because she was not doing her job. he served at the pleasure of the president. if that president is donald trump, the media and the leftists will say it's okay. do whatever you want because it's donald trump. if you had that with obama. there would be riots in the streets. because it's donald trump, it's a different standard we will see. >> laura: do you hope and envision that the u.s. senate, majority republican, will try to get answers? we learned that grassley and ron johnson are trying to pursue hunter biden regarding secret service protection. there are other outstanding questions about whether he was on air force base one with joe biden doing this ukraine business on government aircraft. are you confident we will get to the bottom of this? how important is this? >> well, given what i have been through myself, not including my father and the rest of the family. just myself. bay the standard they used on me, these guys should be testifying for decades let alone hours or even coming in there. i hope they do. i hope

marie yovanovitch said it very eloquently before that audience last evening. yesterday i was struck by the other top officials that shared the room as he was hosting the ecuadorian president. right there was mike pompeo, mick mulvaney as well who sat stone-faced and just nodded along with the president. but this goes to the point of whether the president has learned any lessons from his impeachment and effectively from the acquittal. now just eight days away and there's been no self-reflection from the president about any of it even as republican lawmakers said they hoped or were aspirational that the president might have learned some lessons. i asked him that very question and he said that the lesson he learned not about himself was about the democrats who he lashed out at, calling them crooked and repeated a false assertion saying that robert mueller had lied under oath which is white house hasn't been able to provide any evidence of, the president, again, throwing out fake assertions and to those republicans who suggested they would see a change, it doesn't

marie yovanovitch is amazing. i run the center for public leadership at harvard kennedy school and teach students to become exactly the kind of public servant that ambassador yovanovit yovanovitch is. in those comments she talked about leadership, talked about how every student at georgetown, at princeton where she went, harvard where i teach, are privileged and they should be about servant leadership. she's the emblem of servant leadership and is holding on to optimism even as the state department has been hallowed out. she's my hero today and the hero of many people every day. >> and just to add one other point to that, boy, is that the american story? it's the immigrant voice and masha was ambassador when i was commander. she's everything that wendy sherman just said and more. >> thank you so much for your perspectives. i knew i could count on the two of you who know everything and everyone. admiral james stavridis, ambassador wendy sherman, thank you so much. >>> the silent majority, why haven't republicans cr

ambassador to the ukraine, marie yovanovitch made her first comments since leaving state. what did she say? >> reporter: yeah, so ambassador marie yovanovitch spoke last night at georgetown here in washington, d.c. and she offered a defense of diplomacy, saying it is one of the most effective tools of the u.s. government, and she essentially also said that she was worried about the state department being in decline. that's noteworthy because she is one of the officials who was kicked out, due to the fact that there was a pressure campaign against her, that was orchestrated by allies of president trump. and i want you guys to listen to a little bit of what she said on the state department. >> the state department is in trouble. senior leaders lack policy vision, moral clarity, and leadership skills. the policy process has been replaced by decisions emanating from the top with little discussion. officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy even behind closed doors. >> now, ambassador yovanovitch also said that the fact that diplomat

that is the warning coming from former ambassador marie yovanovitch in her first public comments since her ouster. what else she's saying about the state of american diplomacy, next. plus, the president versus his home state. why the new york governor, who is a big critic of the president's, is meeting with him at the white house in what's become a bitter standoff. the relaxing feeling of knowing you're getting the best price. these'll work. the utter delight of free wi-fi... . oh man this is the best part. isn't that you? yeah. and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. expect better. expect hilton. my skin gets so tired. this new olay serum feels so dewy, and hydrated... gives my skin an extra boost of life. it's full of energy. it finally matches me. i'm denise bidot, and my skin is powerful. and i can face anything with my olay. gimme two minutes. eligible for medicare. and i'll tell you some important things to know about medicare. first, it does

ambassador to ukraine marie yovanovitch. >> do you believe in the credibility of ambassador marie yovanovitch? is she somebody that you respect? >> absolutely. >> what do you think of the fact that giuliani and other people have been attacking her, smearing her? >> unconscionable. unconscionable. secretary pompeo said when asked about his failure to stand up for state department employees, asked by npr, he said, quote, i've defended every single person on this team. i've done what's right for every single person on this team. >> is that true in your experience? >> i will say that i think secretary pompeo is under pressure, under -- tension between two parts of what he's trying to do. i do believe that he wants to support every member of the state department, every employee. i do believe he wants to do that. i also believe he's under pressure from other parts of the government not to support some of the people in the state department. so i -- i -- >> president trump? >> i'm prepared to believe that secretary pompeo is under -- is intentioned. >> does it bother you when you see like how rudy gi

yovanovitch, her word hearse,she wrote in the ashington post" just yesterday, idea this administration through acts of omission and co-miion has undermined our democratic institutions, making the public question the truth and leaving public servantwithout the support, an example of ehical behavior that they need to do their job and advance u.s interests." do you agree with that? >> i do. marie is top notch of the diplomatic corps. she deserves all of the spport necessary, all the support that could be provided. i believe she got some support during the lead-up to tt. in the end it was not enough. >> schifrin: in the enthe president and his allys have said the military aid got to ukrae. the picy never actually changed. do you believe that u.s. support for ukraine has been affected by peachment, and also the actions and the statements by this administration over thest ear and a half? >> i believe that ukrainians had reason to be concerned about the strength of u.ssupport. there has been no confirmed u.s. ambassador in kyevnce ambassador yovanovitch left last may. there was this slow down

mar marie yovanovitch was there for 16 years. alex vindman is from ukraine, he speaks the language, he serveded in kiev and moscow. very much an expert on both those countries. now the white house no longer has that. so these are the people who manage the relationships with these countries. they know them inside out. they deal with them on policy day to day. they're getting side lined. in the meantime this impeachment chapter of the story in the ukraine saga may have just closed. >> reporter: the trial may have ended. >> donald trump is not guilty as charged in the second article of impeachment. >> reporter: but the ukraine jag is not over. >> so we will continue to do our oversight to protect and defend the constitution. each a check and balance on each other. >> reporter: republicans and democrats with sights set on their own targets. for democrats, john bolt job, t bolton who said he is willing to testify in the senate trial but republicans blocked witnesses. so democrats asked him to submit a swarn doement which bolton declin

why did marie yovanovitch? why did fiona hill and so forth? they were all people who i believe put the country's best interests above their own best interests. and there are a lot of people like that. if this impeachment else demonstrates anything, there are a lot of courageous, brave people who are watching and who will come forward with evidence of wrongdoing. >> who is the consequence of this president and many in his party who would 97 have done this in the past, carrying on about the deep state. people who have worked for less pay than they would in the preeft sector. doing their jobs and then putting you their hands and saying something doesn't feel right about this. >> there is nothing a reward for whistleblowers. known who reads about them knowsett doesn't end up well for they will. colonel vindman and his brother are what donald trump calls the deep state. >> that's right. and i think we should pierce the myth once and for all that donald trump is somehow pro military. let's look at the facts. first he began his adult leaf getting mil

people like ambassador marie yovanovitch. her decades of nonpartisan service were turned against her in a vicious smear campaign. that reached all the way to the president. despite this effort, she decided to honor a duly authorized congressional subpoena . and to speak the truth to the american people. for this, she was the subject of yet more smears, against her career and her character, even as he testified in a public hearing for congress. her courage matters. people like ambassador bill taylor, a west point graduate who wears a bronze star and an air medal for valor and a combat intricateinterest in infantrymen's badge. when his country called on him he answered again , and again and again, in battle and foreign affairs and in the face of a corrupt effort by the president to extort a foreign country into helping his reelection campaign. an effort that ambassador taylor rightly believed was crazy. his courage mattered. people like lieutenant colonel alexander vindman who came to this country as a young child, fleeing auth

ambassadors to ukraine, marie yovanovitch and william taylor as well as current members of the administration. these americans who came forward were doing exactly what we always ask of citizens. if you see something wrong, you need to speak up. see something, say something. it is a fundamental part of citizenship to alert each other to danger, to act for the greater good, to care about each other and our country without regard to political party. when americans step forward, sometimes at real risk to themselves, they rightly expect that their government will take the information they provide and act to make them safer, to protect their fundamental rights. that's the understanding between the american people and their representative government. and while the brave women and men who appeared before the house did their jobs, the senate under this majority has unfortunately not. rather than gathering full relevant testimony under oath and with the benefit of cross-examination, the senate majority has apparently decided that despite what it has heard, it is not interested in learning more, not int

why did marie yovanovitch? why did fiona hill and so forth? they were all people who i believe put the country's best interests above their own best interests. and there are a lot of people like that, ali. if this impeachment episode demonstrates anything, there are a lot of courageous, brave people who are watching and who will come forward with evidence of wrongdoing. going forward as well. >> jeremy, give me your take on this. this is a consequence of this president and this administration and many in his party who would never have done this in the past carrying on about the deep state and all these people inside government, civil servants, people who have worked with their heads down for less pay than they often would in the private sector, doing their jobs and then suddenly coming up, putting up their hand and saying something doesn't feel right about this. there's never a reward for whistle-blowers even in the private sector. any book anybody reads about whistle-blowers knows it doesn't end up well for them. but this deep state -- colone

and another key witness ousted, marie yovanovitch slamming mike pompeo's state department. >> right now, the state department is in trouble. senior leaders lack policy vision, moral clarity and leadership skills. the policy process has been replaced by decisions emanating from the top with little discussion. >> jury duty, donald trump attacking the roger stone jurors and now the former u.s. attorney in

. >>> marie yovanovitch is refusing to stay silent. the retired ambassador to ukraine is warning about the degradation of the state department in her first public remarks since leaving the diplomatic service. she warned the department of state is being hollowed out. >> the department is in trouble. senior leaders lack decision, moral clarity and leadership skills. officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy even behind closed doors. >> one of the things that has sustained me is the support of all of you. you know, when you go through some things -- >> those words a reference of course to what the president said awaited yovanovitch in his call with ukraine's president. >>> the largest spike of deaths from the coronavirus so far. officials in hubei announcing an additional 242 deaths in just one day. that is almost ten times the number of cases the previous day and shows just how difficult it has been for scientists to grasp the extent and severity of this outbreak. cnn's steven jiang is live i

. >>> marie yovanovitch has now retired from the state department after more than 30 years of service. the former u.s. ambassador to ukraine is a central figure, you know, in the impeachment trial. >> in may she was removed from her post in ukraine after a targeted campaign against her led by rudy giuliani. president trump called marie yovanovitch bad news on july 25th got a phone call with the leader of the ukraine. the president told an aide to get rid of her. she testified back in november. >>> we're hearing from some republican narts tsenators the explanation for why they voted against potential witnesses and their vote against convicting president. senator marco rubio said sometimes the president should stay in power even if he does engaging impeachable conduct. >>> for the first time, the lakers honored kobe bryant at home. it was an emotional night at the staple center. we'll have more. >> as i look around this arena we're all grieving. we're all hurt. we're all heartbroken. when we go through things like this the best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family. a

which nobody is investigating. >> stephen: ( as giuliani ) "marie yovanovitch spied on me! also, she's the one who keeps locking herself out of her apartment, climbing in through the window, and sleeping on a pile of dirty suits. she's the one who goes into the steam room, she's the one-- ( cheers and applause ) she's the one-- yovanovitch is the one who goes into the sauna and accidentally sits down on her own testicles and has to gather them up in a satchel just to put on her own pants!" ( cheers and applause ) we've got a great show for you tonight. patrick stewart is here. but when we return, "meanwhile!" won't you join us? ♪ dramatic choir music ♪ dramatic choir music ♪ dramatic choir music ♪ dramatic choir music steady the elbow.shoot me one? ♪ ♪ ahh boom shaka laka. feisty. ♪ ahh ♪ (professor) sthe product of sound pressure tand a component of the partial velocity at a point. [sounds] kazoo sound ♪ tis better than the criminal in democrathe white house.esident we all have progressive plans to address the big challenges facing our country. what makes

marie yovanovitch is out of the game now. she is free to talk, but think about what it must have taken for her to write what she did. >> yeah, first of all, that tape, brian, there are so many pieces of it of what they're exchanging that aren't true. ukraine doesn't have a lot of oil. she's not a left over from the clinton administration. why is the president of the united states taking advice from lev parnas? it makes me so nervous about all the other dinners and casual conversations that we're not hearing about. saudi arabia, russia, azerbaijan that' going on. that's the first thing. second, i do applaud ambassador yovanovitch for her piece today. she is trying to point to the long stretch of history. she is trying to encourage those young foreign service officers that are going to be sworn in february 14th to say, stay the course, and to know that people will do the right thing in the government. i'm not as optimistic as her. you know, we saw some people do courageous things, incredibly courageous things like masha, like a

>>> for the first time we're hearinging from former ambassador marie yovanovitch in her own voice and she's not holding back. yovanovitch became a central figure in the impeachment drama and recipient of the president's ire. last night she was honored for her long diplomatic career and during her speech offered a stark warning about the degradation of the state department and the consequences to u.s. diplomacy. >> right now the state department is in trouble. senior leaders lack policy vision, moral clarity and leadership skills. the policy process has been replaced by decisions emanating from the top with little discussion. they can go unfilled and officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy even behind closed doors. it is not news the state department is hollowed out from within at a competitive and complex time on world stage. this is no time to undercut our diplomats. >> joining me now, one of the moderators, former u.s. ambassador to russia bill burns. thank you for joining us, ambassador. you were on stage last night as ambassador yova

marie yovanovitch is out of the game now. she is free to talk. but think about what it must have taken for her to write what she did. >> yeah. first of all, that tape, brian, there's so many pieces of what they're exchanging that aren't true. ukraine doesn't have a lot of oil. she's not a leftover from the clinton administration. why is the president of the united states taking advice from lev parnas? it makes me so nervous about all the other dinners and casual conversations that we're not hearing about saudi arabia, russia, azerbaijan that's going on. that's the first thing. but second i do applaud ambassador yovanovitch for her piece today. she is trying to point to the long stretch of history. she is trying to encourage those young foreign service officers that are going to be sworn in february 14th to say stay the course and to know that people will do the right thing in the government. i'm not as optimistic as her. you know, we saw some people do courageous things, incredibly courageous things, like masha, like ambassador yovanovitch. but w

yovanovitch. he has a right to decide who's ambassador and who isn't. this is obviously a much different scale. the timing of it is -- he's trying to send a signal. it's not like he's being subtle here. the president is sending a signal, you mess with me, you testify against me, you can't work for me. and in some ways you can understand if he's donald trump or anybody else why would you want to have people working for you. but at the same time, you also have republicans on capitol hill promising that the president learned a lesson and that now this is just another example from the, you know, rally in the east room to several other things that he's done since he has been acquitted. this shows he doesn't necessarily -- it's not a signal that he learned his lesson. >> in a sense it's terrifying because everything dana says is true. the reality is these people all said the same thing. if you were a republican senator, you could decide it didn't rise to the level of impeachmentbility or it wasn't a big

marie yovanovitch should be respected. the third thing is that a lot of us have to be willing to dissent. when a lot of us dissent, it's no longer dissent anymore, it's opposition. people aren't so lonely. you can pick on 100 people but it's a lot harder to pick on a million people. >> when i saw -- when i was going back through the book and looking at the be patriot rule and stand out, i found myself feeling different about those than i used to. >> yeah. >> reading this right after the inauguration, i was like, all right, of course, that's the easy stuff in here. now it feels like we're -- i want to know who the people who resigned in protest at the office of management and budget were. >> yeah. >> who i think did resign in protest and haven't spoken about it. we believe there are people in other agents of government, indeed, within the justice department, who have resigned in principle but have not spoken out about it. i've been eager to talk to those people. i also hate myself for wanting to bring them to the public eye

i'm sure you saw the comments by marie-eve on a maj at she says--marie yovanovitch at georgetown. she said there is a keep them guessing foreignolicy that substitutes threats for trust cannot work. can i t your reaction to that? very strong criticism from a former ambassador. brian: secretary pompeo is doing everything he can to advance america's foreign policy objectives. he ended president have had enormous his chest -an enormous success for foreign policy. we will deliver results for the naerican people. : she also criticized the state department's working enviroent. is there retribution for anyone perceived as being disloyal to the president? brian: dcussedolicy, i don't discuss people. i'm happy to talk about amica's foreign policy and the results we have delivered for the american people, making it safer, deepening our alliances, deepening the security partnerships around the world. we are very pleased with our record and we ll continue to focus on a strong foreign policy. nada: amidst all of this, it can be easy to forget that the president is also in the middle of a reelec

yovanovitch was recalled, and when rudy giuliani was planning to go to ukraine. white house counsel pat cipollone was also reportedly in that meeting. he did not comment on it today, but the president is categorically denying it happened. he issued a statement to say, "i never instructed john bolton to set up a meeting for rudy giuliani to meet with president zelensky. that meeting never happened." giuliani, who was also a part of the meeting according to bolton, is calling it a lie. but the former new york mayor has also said that bolton was very aware of his efforts in ukraine. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, weijia, thank you so much. well, hours before the president took off for florida, there was a wild chase not far from his mar-a-lago resort. police say a woman who may have been impaired drove through security checkpoints at high speed on the road that leads to the resort. u.s. secret service opened fire on her car, hitting it several times. the woman, who is 30 years old, was arrested after she tried to flee. there's breaking news tonight on the coronavir

marie yovanovitch should be supported by other diplomats and people who respect diplomats. the lawyers who resign should be defended by other prosecutors or people who respect prosecutors. the third thing is that a lot of us have to be willing to dissent. when a lot of us dissent, it's no longer dissent anymore. it's opposition, and people aren't so lonely and more people can have courage because you can pick on 100 people. but it's a lot harder to pick on a million people. >> when i was going back through the book and looking at the be a patriot rule and stand out, i found myself feeling different about those than i used to. >> yeah. >> reading this right after the inauguration, i was like, oh, right, of course. that's the easy stuff in here. now it feels like we're -- i want to know who the people who resigned in protest at the office of management and budget were, who i think did resign in protest and haven't spoken about it. we believe there are people in other agencies and indeed within the justice department who have resigned in principle but have not spoken out about

folks like the ambassador to ukraine, marie yovanovitch, and her replacement bill taylor. there's been a lot of shuffling around. people have either retired on their own accord, been fired like gordon sondland, reassigned like the vindmans. it's a messy picture. and democrats have been saying ever since the news broke that it's -- it's highly outrageous. >> marshall cohen, thank you so much. >> thanks, fred. >>> with me now, samantha vinograd. she believes it's highly outrageous. she's a cnn national security analyst and former adviser under president obama. i say that because you wrote an opinion piece on cnn.com where you describe these firings as trump's friday night massacre. you called the dismissal dangerous, especially the removal of vindman. so explain your feelings. >> well, fred, when see no evil, hear no evil, is a prerequisite for employment in an administration, that is incredibly dangerous. in the first instance the president's actions really indicate that anybody that goes through legally protected channels to voice concerns about the president' behavior wil

yovanovitch, who trumpting >> reporter: with the fate of other state department diplomats davidolmes and george kent as well aswhistle-l unclear. >> and hans joins us now from the white house. hans, what do we know about that whistle-blower who started it all >> reporter: well, the president said repeatedly that he wants to hear from the whistle-blower but his ability to retaliate may be limited because the whistle-blower is a cia employee and is no longer assigned to the white house. jose >> hans nichols at the white house. thank you very much. >>> tonight we are remembering the actor robert conrad. he was a mainstay in hollywood starting in the late 1950s and known for doing many of his own stunts. he starred in tv shows like "the wild, wild west," "hawaiian eye," and the series "centennial. robert conrad was 84 tonight, theead controversy over kobe bryant's legacy and the news anchor now gettinde >>> also, shocking otel fees. from towels to using the pool what you're really paying for at resorts. >>> tv news anchor gayle king is facing backlash, even death threats, following her q

they tormented marie yovanovitch for a year rather than fire her. what message does this sent to civil servants. >> the message is clear, donald trump tweeted the message today when he said, i will consider it insubordination, insubordination, to do anything that i don't like. to speak out in any way that is inconsistent with my message, my view, and my power. and that is exactly why we have whistle-blower protections, because public servants' loyalty is to the people of the united states of america. not to the president of the united states. that doesn't mean they can ignore direct ignore directives from the president. insubordination is, you tell me to do something, it's lawful, i don't do it, that's insubordination. what lieutenant colonel vindman did or marie yovanovitch or fiona hill or any other number of people that we can talk about that came forward to testify, by the way after being subpoenaed by congress, complying lawfully with the request from congress, is that they did what they were supposed to. they used the appropriate channels to r

host: former ambassador marie yovanovitch, another former administration official speaking yesterday as well, john kelley, former chief of staff, the atlantic, the headline, john kelley finally lets loose on trump. lieutenant colonel vindman, the former national security aide and impeachment witness president trump fired on friday, was just doing his job, former white house chief of staff john kelly told students and guests at drew university on wednesday night -- host: we go next to the republican line, chris in frederick, maryland. caller: good morning. quite a soap opera. every time, everything you look at is crazy. i live and work in washington, and it's a group of yellow jackets that takes strace talk, not double talk from diplomats. going take the straight talk to drain this thing. the more it gets drained, the more the serp ants kind of intertwined down there. it's crazy. i think it's republican and democrat. just to live in this d.c. area, you got to have a million dollars for an apartment or a condo. everybody wants everything to stay the same. that's my comment on that. but

look who broke the news on friday about former ambassador marie yovanovitch retiring? who broke the news about that? npr michelle callaman. scoops are the best revenge. >> we'll get out to iowa in a moment. how is the impeachment cloud affected coverage of the iowa caucuses. three reporters on the ground will join me in just a moment. let's be honest, every insurance company says they can save you dollars. which makes it hard to believe, especially coming from a talking lizard. cheerio! esurance is built to save you dollars. and when they save dollars, you save dollars. so get a quote. when insurance is affordable, it's surprisingly painless. when insurance is affordable, you're doing more to keep your body healthy for the future. shouldn't your toothpaste do the same for your mouth? future proof your whole mouth with new crest pro/active defense. its active defense technology neutralizes bacteria to shield against potential issues. crest. sleep this amazing? that's a zzzquil pure zzzs sleep. our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level hel

ambassador, to ukraine, marie yovanovitch. >> i forced her out because she was corrupt. she should have been fire fd the state department weren't part of the deep state. >> reporter: investigators are still pressing for more information and you von vich's name appeared on a recent subpoena for prosecutors requiring about giuliani and parnas. it's unclear when parnas or ass associates could face additional charges but his trial is slated for october, which means we could get new testimony in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign. >> thank you very much. >>> joe biden facing tough questions from some voters in nevada. one asking what the heck is going on with your campaign? liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shhhh. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too. and last 12 hours. 12 hours? who studies that long?! mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with 2 medicines in 1 pill. - do that are degrading?ideo tapes, film reels, or photos, legacybox professionally converts them to dvds, thumb drive, or the cloud. legacy

. >> do you believe in the credibility of ambassador marie yovanovitch, is she somebody you respect? >> absolutely. >> what do you think about people attacking her and smearing her? >> unconscionable. >> secoretary pompeo, when he ws asked about not standing up for the employees, he said i have defended every single person on this team. i've done what is right for every single person on this team. is that true in your experience? >> i would think secretary pompeo is under pressure and under -- i believe he wants to support every member of the state department, every employee. i believe he's under pressure from other parts of the government, not to support some of the people in the state department, so -- >> president trump? >> i am prepared to believe that secretary pompeo is under -- is intentional. >> does it bother you when you see the duel loyalty smears against lieutenant vindman, and it must bother you to see that? >> of course, anytime i see anybody like them unfairly attacked, anybody unfairly attacked. it bothers anyone, i think. certainly it does. >> some officials we have

yovanovitch, an anticorruption v champion. giuliana viewed as an obstacle who, and i quote, was going to make the investigation difficult for everybody. working with now indicted associates, levat parnas, and fruman, giuliana orchestrated a month-long smear campaign against the ambassador that in her removal and april. the president's sudden order to remove our ambassador, came just three days after ukraine's presidential election in late april which saw a reformer, zelensky, swept into office on an anticorruption platform. president trump called to congratulate zelensky right after his victory. he invited president zelensky to the white house and agreed to send vice president pence to his inauguration. but three weeks later, after rudy giuliani was denied a meeting with president zelensky, president trump abruptly ordered vice president peds to canceld, his trip. instead, a lower level delegation led by three of president trump's politicals appointees, secretary of energy, ambassador to the european union and special represen

yovanovitch. her decades of non-partisan service were turned against her in a vicious smear campaign that reached all the way to the president. despite this effort, she decided to honor a duly authorized congressional subpoena and to speak the truth to the american people. for this she was the subject of yet more smears against her career and her character, even as show testified in a public hearing before congress. her courage mattered. people like ambassador bill taylor, a west point graduate, who wears a bronze star, and an air medal for valor, and his proudest honor, a combat infantryman's badge. when his country called on him, he answered again and again and again in battle, in foreign affairs, and in the face of a corrupt effort by the president to extort a foreign country into helping his re-election campaign. an effort that ambassador taylor rightly believed was crazy. his courage mattered. people like lieutenant colonel alexander vindman who came to this country as a young child, fleeing

marie yovanovitch. >> right now they are in trouble. vacancies at all levels are unfilled and officers are wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy even behind closed doors. i think one of the things that has sustained me is the support of all of you. you know, when you go through some things -- >> she went through some things. what do you make of her message, bianna? >> you know, good for her. at least we have that right in this country where you can speak out. clear the the president and secretary pompeo want nothing more than for her to go away. if there's anybody who suffered the most throughout this whole drama over ukraine and funding ukraine with military aid, obviously it's the soldiers in ukraine b ukraine but it's also marie. good to her. >> coming up, super tuesday, march 3rd. ♪ show her you care, make her heart sing ♪ make this valentine's day mean more. ♪ jared. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ wherever we want to go, we just have to start. autosave your way there with chase. chase. make more of what's you

from marie yovanovitch to bill taylor to fiona hill, the list goes on and on, because i really do believe these folks put their country above their careers, and that's something that unfortunately the president doesn't understand. >> so the president also didn't stop at vindman and sondland, vindman has a twin brother that worked in the trump administration, national security office, he, too, was let go. robert wray, one of the attorneys that defended the president in the impeachment trial defending these firings last night here on cnn. listen. >> is it really in anybody's interest under the circumstances to have the both of them there or either one of them there? you know, i just -- before we jump on the revenge bandwagon, seems to me it is time for everybody to move on. >> so what is it if it is not revenge? >> it is clearly revenge. i don't think everyone should move on, i don't think we should kind of wipe it under the rug. i think this is a classic instance where basically revenge in this case meant not only negative consequences for lieutenant colonel vindman's career but also the c

he got the eu ambassador sondland recalled and of course the former ambassador to ukraine marie yovanovitch recalled aurally and left the service. retribution under way? >> i don't think you can think of it as anything else. not only did president trump himself talk about retribution, talk about his anger in the sort of rambling sort of hour' long venting session at the white house the day after the senate trial ended, but you also had the white house press secretary publicly say that she thought that people who had done president trump wrong in the course of the impeachment inquiry were going to have to pay for it. and so i think it's hard to look at the actions of today in any other way than as retribution against people that the president perceives as his enemies. and i just don't know whether it's over. that's the question i think we all don't quite know the answer to. is there more to come? >> exactly. when you think of not gordon sondland but certainly vindman yovanovitch, that speaks to what has been an across the board loss of expert experience in this administration. not just these

people like ambassador marie yovanovitch, her decades of nonpartisan service were turned against her in a vicious smear campaign that reached all the way to the president. despite this effort, she decided to honor a duly authorized congressional subpoena and to speak the truth to the american people. for this she was the subject of yet more smears against her career and her character even as she testified in a public hearing before congress. her courage mattered. people like ambassador bill taylor, a west point graduate who wears a bronze star and an air medal for valor, and his proudest honor, a combat infantriman's badge. when his country called on him he answered again and again and again in battle, in foreign affairs, and in the face of a corrupt effort by the president to extort a foreign country into helping his re-election campaign, an effort that ambassador taylor rightly believed was crazy. his courage mattered. people like lieutenant colonel alexander vindman who came to this country as a young child fleeing authoritarianism in europe, he could have done anything with his l

he got the eu ambassador sondland recalled and is the former ambassador to ukraine, marie yovanovitch. retribution underway? >> i don't think you can think of it as anything else. not only did president trump himself talk about retribution, talk about his anger in the sort of rambling sort of hour-long venting session at the white house the day after the senate trial ended but you had the white house press secretary publicly say that she thought people who had done president trump wrong in the course of the impeachment inquiry were going to have to pay for it. so i think it is hard to look at the actions of today in any other way than as retribution against people that the president perceives as his enemies. and i don't know whether it is over. that is the question i think we don't know the answer to. is there more to come? >> exactly. when you think of, well, not gordon sondland, but vindman and yovanovitch, that speaks to an across the board of expert experience in this administration. not just these had few but for a long time now. >> part of what has been a consistent story about

people like ambassador marie yovanovitch, her decades of nonpartisan service were turned against her in a vicious smear campaign. that reached all the way to the president. despite this effort, she decided to honor a duly authorized congressional subpoena. and to speak the truth to the american people. for this she was the subject of yet more smears, against her career and her character, even as she testified in a public hearing before congress. her courage mattered. people like ambassador bill taylor a west point graduate who wears a bronze star and an air medal for valor and his proudest honor, a combat infantryman's badge. when his country called on him he answered again and again and again. in battle, in foreign affairs and in the face of a corrupt effort by the president to extort a foreign country into helping his re-election campaign. an effort that ambassador taylor rightly believed was crazy. his courage mattered. people like lieutenant colonel alexander vindman who came to this country as a young child, fleeing authoritarianism in europe. he could have done anything with hi

in fact, impeachment witness and former ambassador of ukraine marie yovanovitch spoke about this at harvard university. >> we need a vigorous department of state. right now state department is in trouble. senior leaders lack policy vision, moral clarity and leadership skills. the policy process has been replaced by decisions emanating from the top with little discussion. all levels unfilled and officers are increasingly wondering whether it's safe to express concerns about policy even behind closed door. >> striking to hear a career nonpartisan diplomat to say the ukraine plot is only one problem that she sees in donald trump's state department. donald trump' state department if you've been dreaming about tender wild-caught lobster, dig in to butter-poached, fire-roasted and shrimp & lobster linguini. see? dreams do come true. or if you like a taste of new england without leaving home, try lobster, sautéed with crab, jumbo shrimp and more, or maybe you'd like to experience the ultimate surf and the ultimate turf... with so many lobster dishes, there's something for every lobster fan so hur

yovanovitch, the public of the fence in may also certified, certified that ukraine had taken, quote, substantial actions to decrease corruption. if there were legitimate foreign policy concerns for corruption the president would not have release date to ukraine, in 2017 and 2018 to delay in 2019 after joe biden announced his run for president. if there were legitimate foreign policy concerns the president would not have been interested in pursuing investigations based on as doctor fiona hill testified a, quote, fictional narrative that is being perpetrated and propagated by the russians security services to raise doubts about russia's own capability in the 2016 election interference and to harm the relationship between the united states and ukraine. furthermore, the president's defense team would have us believe he legitimately asserted executive privilege over the house's well-founded impeachment inquiry despite the fact he never actually asserted a privilege over a single document or witness, rather he issued a blanket directive in which he refused to cooperate entirely with the ho

. >> i remember marie yovanovitch, the ambassador to ukraine who was removed, she talked about the state department being hollowed out from the inside. >> absolutely. >> which is a terrifying idea. you don't notice it from outside but inside it's been hollowed out. >> it's a record number of positions in the state, in defense, and many other agencies, intelligence agencies, not being filled because, again, less people, more power in the hands of the chosen few trump nominated. >> garry, i appreciate it. >>> coming up, bernie sanders told me in a "60 minutes" interview everything is bad about fidel castro's regime. i asked him about comments he had made in the past about literacy rates in cuba. we're going to play for you the entire exchange. some democrats are going after sanders for it. republicans as well. we'll show you what he actually said and how it stands up to the facts ahead. i like chillaxin'. the united explorer card makes things easy. traveling lighter. taking a shortcut. woooo! taking a breather. rewarded! learn more at the explorer card dot com. geico is the easy choice. we