Lobbyist says he wasn't lobbying when he tried to oust Ukrainian ambassador. Experts disagree.

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Robert LivingstonAn allegation that Bob Livingston, a congressman-turned-lobbyist, sought to oust the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine raises questions about whether he violated a federal law that requires lobbyists to disclose their work for foreign clients.

Livingston, a former high-ranking House member who heads an influential Washington lobbying firm, repeatedly called Foreign Service Officer Catherine Croft and pressed for the ouster of the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, Croft told impeachment investigators last week.

In Croft's written statement, she said Livingston told her that Yovanovitch – now a key figure in impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump – was an “Obama holdover” associated with George Soros, the billionaire investor, philanthropist, Democratic donor, and Trump critic.

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