Trump removes Ambassador Yovanovitch after Giuliani-led smear campaign

State Department career official Marie Yovanovitch was abruptly recalled from her post as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine on May 20, 2019, after a months-long smear campaign coordinated by Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnas, and Ukrainian prosecutors. Giuliani had publicly accused Yovanovitch of disloyalty and circulated false allegations to undermine her anti-corruption work. The House impeachment report treated her removal as part of the broader scheme to sideline career officials who might obstruct the political pressure campaign on Ukraine.