Ukraine Launches Criminal Probe of Alleged Surveillance by Giuliani Associates

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Ukraine Launches Criminal Probe of Alleged Surveillance by Giuliani Associates

The Ukraine has opened a criminal investigation, but not the one President Donald Trump wanted — at all.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry has announced it is investigating alleged surveillance of Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine.

Earlier this week, text messages released by House investigators revealed that Yovanovitch appears to have been under surveillance by Rudy Giuliani associates Lev Parnas and Robert Hyde.

Back in November, Yovanovitch testified that she was forced out of her job because she was getting in the way of the extortion plot to withhold U.S. aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation of Trump’s political rivals.

“Ukraine’s position is to not interfere in the domestic affairs of the United States,” an Interior Ministry official said. “However, the published records contain the fact of a possible violation of the legislation of Ukraine and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which protects the rights of a diplomat on the territory of another country.

“Ukraine cannot ignore such illegal activities on its territory.”

Parnas said in interviews Wednesday that Trump was aware of his activities.

MSNBC reports that the investigation will also include the alleged hacking of Burisma Holdings, the natural gas company at the center of the Trump impeachment, by Russian spies.

BREAKING: Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announces criminal probe into alleged illegal surveillance of former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch after text messages released by House investigators showed Robert F. Hyde and Lev Parnas discussing her being tracked in Kyiv.

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 16, 2020

The State Department hasn’t replied to multiple questions about the possibility Marie Yovanotich was under surveillance. They aren’t commenting on whether they’ll cooperate with Ukraine’s investigation, whether they’ll open their own investigation, or even addressing it at all.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 16, 2020

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