Ex-US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch said she was pulled from her post after "concerted effort against her" by Trump
She told lawmakers "shady interests the world over have learned how little it takes to remove an American ambassador"
It was the second day of TV hearings in impeachment inquiry into Trump
The hearing was interrupted by live-tweets of Trump attacking her, which were then read to her
The inquiry centres on Trump's dealings with Ukraine and whether he abused presidential power for political ends
Nunes is now reading the entire 21 April call - the first phone conversation between Trump and Ukraine's newly elected President Zelensky.
In the call, Trump congratulates Zelensky and offers to consider his offer to attend his inauguration.
Trump ultimately chose to send Vice-President Mike Pence and other US officials in his stead.
Nunes called the origins of the impeachment probe "some kind of strange cult" that operated out of a congressional basement.
He accused Democrats of believing "ridiculous conspiracy theories that President Trump is a Russian agent".
Image source, Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesAdam Schiff sits next to Devin Nunes as Friday's proceedings begin
Top Republican Devin Nunes condemned the Democrats for "their operation to topple a duly elected president".
He also said the impeachment hearings have stymied other congressional legislation.
He accused Democrats of "Watergate fantasies" referring to the investigation into President Richard Nixon in the 1970s.
Image source, Sha Hanting/China News Service/VCG via Getty ImagesSchiff concludes his opening statement by reminding everyone this is all about investigating abuse of power.
"Ambassador Yovanovitch was serving our nation’s interest in fighting corruption in Ukraine, but she was considered an obstacle to the furtherance of the President’s personal and political agenda.
"For that she was smeared and cast aside. The powers of the presidency are immense, but they are not absolute and cannot be used for a corrupt purpose."
We'll now hear from Ranking Republican Devin Nunes.
Schiff says getting rid of Ambassador Yovanovitch set the stage "for an irregular channel that could pursue the two investigations that mattered so much to the president, the 2016 conspiracy theory, and most important, an investigation into the 2020 political opponent he apparently feared most, Joe Biden".
Here's what we know about the claims about former vice-president Joe Biden:
Biden and Ukraine: What we klnow about corruption claims
Schiff says Yovanovitch was known for being tough on corruption in Ukraine - "too tough on corruption for some".
"Her principled stance made her enemies. As [senior diplomat] George Kent told this committee on Wednesday, 'you can't promote principled anti-corruption action without pissing-off corrupt people.'"
"Ambassador Yovanovitch did not just 'piss off' corrupt Ukrainians, like the corrupt former prosecutor general Yuri Lutsenko, but also certain Americans like Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal attorney, and two individuals, now indicted, who worked with him, Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas."
Who are Fruman and Parnas? Catch up on their story here.
The second day of public impeachment hearings is starting. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, delivers his opening statement.
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In the first call between Trump and Zelensky, released moments ago, Trump congratulates his counterpart on his election victory.
"That was an incredible election," Trump tells Zelensky.
"I have many friends from Ukraine and they think - frankly - expected you to win."
Zelensky invited Trump to personally attend his inauguration in Ukraine.
"Well that's very nice. I'll look into that," Trump says. He ultimately sent his vice-president to attend with other US officials.
The White House has just released a transcript of the first conversation between President Trump and Ukraine's President Zelensky in April.
The call that sparked the impeachment inquiry occurred on 25 July.
Image source, Scott Olson/Getty ImagesLive testimony of the House impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump is shown on a television at the Billy Goat Tavern on 13 November in Chicago, Illinois
According to US media 13.8m TV viewers watched the first day of the public impeachment hearings on Wednesday (not including online streaming).
In June 2017, the congressional testimony of dismissed FBI Director James Comey drew 19.5m viwers.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation hearings in September 2018 had 20m viewers.
When Michael Cohen, who was jailed for Trump campaign finance violations, appeared before Congress 16m people watched.
Image source, Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThe US ambassador to Ukraine who is testifying today was abruptly dismissed by Trump in May.
The 33-year veteran of the foreign service spoke to lawmakers in a closed-door hearing last month. She said the state department had been "attacked and hollowed from within".
What has she already said?
Yovanovitch told Congress she felt threatened by Trump comments to Ukraine’s president that she was “going to go through some things”.
"I didn't know what it meant," Yovanovitch said. "I was very concerned. I still am."
The career diplomat also said she was "incredulous" at being fired in May.
"Although I understand that I served at the pleasure of the president," Ms Yovanovitch said in a prepared statement, "I was nevertheless incredulous that the US government chose to remove an ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives."
Trump is accused of breaking the law by pressuring Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival.
In July he urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Joe Biden, one of the Democratic frontrunners to take him on in next year's presidential election. This matters because it is illegal to ask foreign entities for help in winning a US election.
An impeachment inquiry that could see the president removed from office is under way.
But there is a fierce debate about whether Trump committed an impeachable offence. He says he has done nothing wrong.
Want more detail? Read the full story here.
Need to catch up with all things Trump impeachment? We’ve made it easy for you.
SIMPLE GUIDE: If you want a basic take on what's going on, this one's for you
GO DEEPER: Here's a 100, 300 and 800-word summary of the story
WHAT'S IMPEACHMENT? It's a political process to remove a president - video guide
VIEW FROM TRUMP COUNTRY: Hear from residents of a town in Pennsylvania
ON THE DOORSTEP: A newly elected Democrat sells impeachment to voters
Welcome to our live coverage of the impeachment probe into President Donald Trump.
Today, lawmakers will hear from Marie Yovanovitch, the ex-envoy to Ukraine who was dismissed by Trump in May. Lawmakers hope the career diplomat can shed light on the issue at the centre of the impeachment inquiry - whether President Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival.
We’ll keep you updated on all the latest happenings on Capitol Hill here.