Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is calling for an investigation after newly released evidence suggests that she was being surveilled by associates of Rudy Giuliani as part of the smear campaign that led to her firing.
“Needless to say, the notion that American citizens and others were monitoring Ambassador Yovanovitch’s movements for unknown purposes is disturbing,” Yovanovitch’s lawyer Lawrence S. Robbins told The Post in a statement.
“We trust that the appropriate authorities will conduct an investigation to determine what happened.”
Documents recently turned over to House investigators by Giuliani associate Lev Parnas show text messages between Parnas and Robert Hyde, a 2020 GOP congressional candidate in Connecticut, where they suggest she is being monitored.
The texts are dated March 2019, when Yovanovitch was still serving in her post in Kiev.
In multiple messages, Hyde texted Parnas about the ambassador’s whereabouts and discussed what will need to be done “if you want her out.”
Yovanovitch testified as part of the House’s impeachment inquiry that she was the subject of a smear campaign spearheaded by Giuliani that led to her recall back to the US and her eventual firing.
“Wow. Can’t believe Trumo [sic] hasn’t fired this bitch. I’ll get right in that,” Hyde texted to Parnas in another set of messages.
Other documents included in the trove show handwritten notes laying out plans for getting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and Burisma, the energy company where Hunter Biden served on the board.
The evidence also features a text from Giuliani to Parnas the day before Yovanovitch was whisked out of Ukraine.
Giuliani wrote to Parnas that President Trump “fired her again,” likely referring to Yovanovitch, with Parnas writing back, “I pray it happens this time I’ll call you tomorrow my brother.”
Giuliani has denied any wrongdoing and publicly claimed that Yovanovitch was under the control of billionaire liberal donor George Soros while serving as ambassador.
The former NYC mayor also claimed Parnas and Igor Fruman, another indicted associate, were helping him dig up dirt in Ukraine on Joe Biden.