Rep. Scott Perry describes closed-door hearing with former US ambassador to Ukraine
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry says a lot of Marie Yovanovitch’s testimony was 'second-hand information.'
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., who attended a closed-door transcribed interview with the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Friday, said much of Marie Yovanovich's testimony was "second-hand information' while appearing on "The Story with Martha MacCallum."
"I sat in the same in the same hearing and quite honestly a lot of it was secondhand information," Perry said Friday. "No really direct knowledge and well, we certainly find her... situation lamentable for her personally. There are bigger issues here for the country for both countries at stake."
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Yovanovich told lawmakers that she was recalled earlier this year after “unfounded and false claims” against her, as well as continued pressure on the State Department from President Trump to remove her -- as she denied being “disloyal” to the president.
Yovanovich, who was recalled in May, spoke as part of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky -- in which Trump asked Zelensky to “look into” allegations about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter's conduct in the country.
Perry, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the testimony should have taken place publicly.
"The fact that this is happening in secret, quite honestly the fact that this is happening in the secure area where nobody can see ... that this should actually be a hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee because we're talking about a ... diplomat from the United States lends the other issue to this, which is the American people should see what's happening here," Perry said.
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The congressman called on the transcripts of the meetings to be released and criticized Democrats for "strategically" leaking information.
"There's nothing I would like more for them than for you and the rest of America to see the transcript from today's proceedings and the transcript from last week's proceedings," Perry said. "But, that's not being allowed except in certain circumstances where portions of it are leaked out very strategically."
Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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