The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

Ambassador David Hale told House investigators that he recommended Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch deny the allegations made in a smear campaign against her and, "reaffirm her loyalty, as the Ambassador and foreign service officer, to the President of the United States and the Constitution."

Along with that statement, Hale said he was “advocating strongly,” for a statement from the State Department in Yovanovitch’s defense.

He described writing a “very robust 10 full-page statement of defense and praise, actually, for the Ambassador's work.”

“The concept was that simultaneously, or in coordination anyway, she would put out a statement. And they were debating in her embassy whether she should do it on camera or a written statement," he said.

Hale said he didn’t know, “exactly who initiated that idea,” but it was one he supported.

“I thought it was a good idea,” he testified, “because it had become so personal, that she needed to remind people what foreign services are and who we were loyal to and who we work for and that she was committed to that.”

The final decision not to release a statement in support Yovanovitch ultimately came from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

“Given my position in the State Department, it could only have been someone more senior to me. The secretary most likely would have been the person,” he said.

Hale said he got the impression that was because, “it would only fuel further negative reaction.”

“One point of view was that it might even provoke a public reaction from the President himself about the ambassador,” he said.

“Our plan at that point was to try to contain this and wait it out,” Hale testified.

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