Cross Examination Exposes Gaps in Impeachment Narrative

Tough questions from lawmakers show hearsay, opinion, and presumptions underlie crucial claims by star witness

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), right, and minority counsel Steve Castor confer during the first public impeachment hearing on Nov. 13, 2019. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Republican lawmakers used the first public hearing of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Nov. 13 to expose major gaps in the narrative crafted by Democrats and their media allies over the course of weeks of secret depositions.

As alleged by the Democratic Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Trump leveraged military aid and the prospect of a White House meeting to force Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Trump’s potential 2020 election opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.