Shall we? Shall I start? Do it. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Babaro. This is the date.

All this week, we're in Washington. Okay, this is it.

As Congress returns from recess, the impeachment inquiry enters a pivotal phase, and the White House strategy to block the investigation begins to crumble, with five administration officials set to testify before House committees.

Okay, so we've got Fiona Hill, the former Russia expert on the National Security Council staff on the Hill as we speak. She's behind closed doors.

On Monday, those committees heard testimony about why the president removed the long-time ambassador to Ukraine. Just two months before his fateful call with the president of Ukraine, asking for a favor.

As the busy week on the Hill, he's going to testify on Thursday we've got another State Department official testifying tomorrow.

Today, the story of how that ambassador ended up at the center of the impeachment process. It's Tuesday, October 15.

I am. Where do we go? Okay, it's a dark room. Yeah, is it?

Sharon Lafaynear is an investigative reporter in the Washington Bureau. Okay, good. And we'll jump in and and they'll be great.

Sharon, tell us about this ambassador, Marie Yvonnevich. So she's a very experienced diplomat. Maria Yvonnevich to be ambassador to the Republic of Armenia.

She's a 33 year veteran of the State Department. She's a three time ambassador. George W. Bush appointed to her to be ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and then to Armenia.

It's an honor for me to appear before you today. I'm honored also by the confidence that President Bush and Secretary Rice have shown to me by nominating you for the post of US ambassador to Armenia.

And then in August of 2016, President Obama appointed her to be ambassador to Ukraine. So she's a career diplomat.

She's a career diplomat and her sort of trademark what people mostly say about her is how cautious she is. She is a very careful diplomat.

US policy is very clear. Crimea is a part of Ukraine. And we are absolutely rock solid on that.

You know, she doesn't get out over skis. She's very, very policy oriented, very attentive to protocol, propriety, instructions and just by nature a cautious person.

And we are very active on the diplomatic side to ensure that Russia's physical occupation of Crimea does not become sort of a creeping occupation through other ways.

By the time Trump's elected, she's a ambassador to Ukraine. She's been in the embassy as ambassador then for about six months or so and she continues on.

Trump is the sixth president that she has served of both parties of both parties. Correct.

There has been a strong bipartisan commitment to Ukraine's independence. And I'm confident that will continue.

So what happens after President Trump renews her ambassador ship?

She carries on in early March, she gets us communicate from the State Department saying, Hey, can you stay on can we extend your ambassador ship into 2020?

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