READ: Testimony Of Top State Department Official David Hale
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale departs the U.S. Capitol after giving a closed-door deposition to the House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry into President Trump on Nov. 6. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale departs the U.S. Capitol after giving a closed-door deposition to the House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry into President Trump on Nov. 6.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesHouse committees have released the transcript of David Hale's testimony before the impeachment inquiry.
Hale, the under secretary of state for political affairs, is the third-highest-ranked official at the State Department. He allegedly knew about the White House's push to recall Marie Yovanovitch from her post as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
Hale reportedly told investigators during his Nov. 6 closed-door deposition that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others at the State Department were reluctant to speak in support publicly of Yovanovitch because they feared it might have delayed the release of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine. He also said President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani played a significant role in pushing Yovanovitch out.