Letter to the editor: Yovanovitch's intimidation claim is laughable

Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch said during the impeachment hearings that she felt intimidated by President Trump’s tweet critiquing her performance as ambassador. As a retired Foreign Service employee, I find that unbelievable and laughable. Our ambassadors around the world are made of sterner stuff. Yovanovitch apparently is not.

Irrelevant to impeachment, Yovanovitch said Trump treated her and the Foreign Service badly, and pointed out the dangers in postings around the world. She “plugged” the Foreign Service, naming the four Americans killed in Benghazi in 2012, but revealed a bias in not commenting on President Obama’s inaction on that fatal night. He and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should have been in the White House Situation Room monitoring the situation and sending help. They were not. Obama was leaving for a Las Vegas fundraiser early the next morning, so he most probably was tucked up in bed. And only God knows Hillary’s whereabouts. Thus our Americans were left abandoned and were subsequently killed.

Nevertheless, I wish Yovanovitch well, and hope someone gives her a therapy dog for Christmas to help her conquer her feelings of intimidation.

Elizabeth Gaston Barsoum

Ligonier