Sick and tired of the secrecy and lies surrounding the impeachment of President Donald Trump, almost two dozen Republicans halted the proceedings of a closed-door deposition with a senior Defense Department official by storming in unexpectedly during the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Republican lawmakers said they took the dramatic stance to storm the deposition due to the lack of transparency the Democrats have shown during the impeachment inquiry. They say the sneaky tactics, including the selective leaking of some of the evidence and testimony to the media, is appalling and unprecedented.
Although the impeachment inquiry is being led by three committees that consist of both Democrats and Republicans, members of Congress that are not members of those committees are not granted access to any of the interviews, testimonies, or documents about the probe. It is also to be noted that Republicans do not have the same power as Democrats do in this case, as they are not allowed to subpoena witnesses or pursue evidence in the probe at all.
According to House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, (R-LA), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff “fled with the testifying witness” when roughly 50 Republicans, including many that were not on the three committees, went “face-to-face and demanded access to ongoing impeachment proceedings.”
Some Republicans even went as far as to ask the Capitol police officers to arrest them in hopes that it would help them make their case to show just how badly Democrats are abusing the impeachment process.
The situation occurred Wednesday morning after GOP lawmakers held a news conference accusing House Democrats of lack of transparency.
The Republicans specifically denounced the fact that the deposition was happening behind closed doors, and said that Americans should at least be able to read the transcripts of all of the interviews conducted as part of Trump’s impeachment.
Lawmakers on the scene described it as chaotic. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, (D- FL) told reporters she had just walked into the room when the Republican lawmakers stormed past Capitol Police officers and staffers. The attendant checking identification at the entrance was “basically overcome” by the Republicans. The Democrat from Florida also said, “Literally some of them were screaming about the president and what we’re doing to him and that we have nothing and just all things that were supportive of the president.”
Republicans have finally had enough of the ‘witch hunt,’ and want answers and transparency from the House Democrats about the impeachment inquiry.
“The members have just had it and they want to be able to see and represent their constituents and find out what’s going on,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, told reporters.
According to Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-FL) who led Republicans in their protest, “We’re going to try and go in there, and we’re going to try to figure out what’s going on, on behalf of the millions of Americans that we represent that want to see this Congress working for them and not obsess with attacking a president who we believe has not done anything to deserve impeachment.”
