A second round of impeachment hearings into President Donald Trump's alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine have wrapped up.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified before the House Intelligence Committee for several hours, fielding tough questions from members and tough tweets from the president.
As members of the House questioned Yovanovitch, Republicans were working to highlight another woman in the room: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R - N.Y.)
Conservative outlets seized on a moment in which committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D - Calif.) refused to allow Republican Rep. Devin Nunes (R - Calif.) to yield his time to Stefanik early in the hearing. But the attempt came during a portion of the hearing when rules explicitly stated that only Schiff, Nunes and committee lawyers were permitted to question Yovanovitch.
Republican lawmakers then took turns asking Yovanovitch questions, during which Stefanik focused on Yovanovitch's work as ambassador including efforts to fight corruption.
At another point, when Stefanik had an additional opportunity to question the former ambassador, she used it to criticize Schiff and read news clips recounting his promise that the whistleblower would be allowed to testify before the committee. Republicans, led by Trump, celebrated Stefanik, the only Republican woman on the committee.
Democrats are investigating Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and a shadow foreign policy there led by his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. They said that Yovanovitch’s ouster set the stage for the president’s appeals to Ukraine’s leader to investigate Democrats.
The House Intelligence Committee will hear from eight more impeachment witnesses next week.