Lawyer for diplomat Marie Yovanovitch demands investigation after explosive documents suggest she was surveilled in Ukraine

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Lawyer for diplomat Marie Yovanovitch demands investigation after explosive documents suggest she was surveilled in Ukraine
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, during the second public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Associated Press

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Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, during the second public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

  • An attorney for former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is calling for an investigation after documents released by the House Intelligence Committee suggested she was under surveillance prior to being ousted from her position.
  • In one conversation, Rudy Giuliani's Ukrainian associate Lev Parnas and Parnas's associate Robert Hyde, a Republican running for Congress in Connecticut, discussed Yovanovitch's whereabouts and how they had "a person inside."
  • In another exchange, Hyde referred to Yovanovitch bluntly as "that b---h."
  • "Needless to say, the notion that American citizens and others were monitoring Ambassador Yovanovitch's movements for unknown purposes is disturbing," her lawyer Lawrence Robbins told NBC News. "
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An attorney for former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is calling for an investigation after documents released by the House Intelligence Committee suggest she was under surveillance prior to being ousted from her position.

The documents included text messages between Rudy Giuliani's Ukrainian associate Lev Parnas and others apparently discussing Yovanovitch.

"Needless to say, the notion that American citizens and others were monitoring Ambassador Yovanovitch's movements for unknown purposes is disturbing," her lawyer Lawrence Robbins told NBC News. "We trust that the appropriate authorities will conduct an investigation to determine what happened."

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Yovanovitch, who testified during President Donald Trump's impeachment inquiry, was abruptly recalled from her position in May after what she described as a smear campaign.

In one conversation, Parnas's associate Robert Hyde, a Republican running for Congress in Connecticut, referred to Yovanovitch bluntly as "that b---h."

Hyde later sent several texts suggesting it was possible to keep tabs on Yovanovitch in Ukraine, adding, "They are willing to help if we/you would like a price."

Afterward, Hyde wrote, "Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money."

Hyde also texted Parnas about Yovanovitch's whereabouts and the state of her security.

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"She [sic] under heavy protection outside Kiev," Hyde wrote.

He followed up saying how they "have a person inside."

Hyde released a statement about the text messages, saying that he was inebriated while he was messaging his associates.

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