Marie Yovanovitch took aim at Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and top brass at the State Department in damning testimony

Scott J. Applewhite/AP

• Marie Yovanovitch, the US's former ambassador to Ukraine, is the third official to testify in the public impeachment hearings into President Donald Trump.
• Yovanovitch was abruptly recalled from her position in May after what she characterized as a smear campaign against her by Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
• She vividly detailed the shadow campaign Giuliani conducted to strong-arm Ukraine into acceding to Trump's demands for politically motivated investigations. She also took aim at top brass at the State Department for failing to shield her from Trump and Giuliani's pressure campaign.
• Scroll down to watch the hearing.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The public on Friday heard from one of the most significant witnesses to President Donald Trump's shadow foreign policy campaign in Ukraine.

Marie Yovanovitch served as the US ambassador to Ukraine until she was abruptly recalled in May following what she has characterized as a smear campaign against her based on "false claims by people with clearly questionable motives."

Yovanovitch's testimony threw the spotlight on Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer who is accused of engineering her ouster.

Yovanovitch arrived to testify to the House Intelligence Committee as part of its public impeachment hearings beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Friday. The hearing lasted over six hours and concluded shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET.

You can watch the hearing here and scroll down for the biggest moments:

Republicans go to bat for Trump but still hold their fire on Yovanovitch

One overarching theme during the hearing so far is that while Republicans, like Ohio congressman Jim Jordan and Texas congressman John Ratcliffe, took up the mantle to defend Trump, they still struck a somewhat conciliatory tone toward Yovanovitch.

With some notable exceptions — like Turner — the majority of GOP lawmakers made it a point to highlight Yovanovitch's record and thank her for her decades of public service.

Even Jordan, who has largely established himself as the president's main attack dog in these hearings, refrained from attacking Yovanovitch directly and instead tried to get her to acknowledge the Ukrainian government was opposed to Trump.

The Ohio congressman built that line of questioning to lay a foundation to once again push the debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election.

Some Republicans specifically praised Yovanovitch for the things Trump attacked her for on Twitter. Rep. Elise Stefanik, for instance, complimented Yovanovitch's work in Somalia after the president mentioned her time in the country and said "everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad."

The Republican strategy was particularly interesting because it came amid allegations that Trump's attacks on Yovanovitch — sent while she was detailing how she felt personally threatened by the president — amounted to witness intimidation.

Yovanovitch: Trump has the right to recall an ambassador at any time, but 'what I don't understand is why it was necessary to smear my reputation'

GOP Rep. Mike Turner refuses to let Yovanovitch answer his questions: 'Not on my time. You're done.'

Some Republican lawmakers, like Rep. Mike Turner, struck a more hostile tone when questioning the witness.

Turner asked Yovanovitch a series of questions but refused to let her answer. When Schiff cut in to allow Yovanovitch to respond, Turner shot back, pointing at Yovanovitch, "Not on my time. You're done. OK?"

Yovanovitch raised her eyebrows in response.

See Also:

• Bill Taylor and George Kent's vivid testimony in the first open impeachment hearing blew up Trump's defense in the Ukraine scandal
• A top State Department official blew a hole through one of Trump’s main talking points in the impeachment hearing
• Longtime diplomat Bill Taylor testifies that he had never seen a US president make foreign aid conditional on their personal or political interests

SEE ALSO: Who's scheduled to publicly testify next in Trump's impeachment hearings