Marie Yovanovitch Recalls The Demeaning Thing She Refused To Do For Donald Trump

Pledging loyalty to Donald Trump while being subjected to a smear campaign by the former president’s allies was a step too far for Marie Yovanovitch , the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, reportedly wrote in her new memoir .

Yovanovitch, who served as ambassador from 2016 to 2019, agreed to tape a statement showing her solidarity with Trump but then decided not to release it, even though her job was under threat, according to excerpts from “Lessons From The Edge” that Insider published on Tuesday .

“When I tried the loyalty pledge on for size, I couldn’t make it fit — not if I wanted to keep my integrity intact,” she wrote.

“Even worse, I thought such a statement was demeaning — and wrong,” Yovanovitch added.

Yovanovitch was recalled from Ukraine over fears among Trump allies that she’d thwart their efforts to dig up dirt on his then-potential Democratic 2020 election rival Joe Biden . Trump’s threat to withhold military aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into Biden and his son led to Trump’s first impeachment.

Read the excerpt from Yovanovitch’s book here.