Republican lawmakers on Wednesday morning held a press conference before they attempted to enter a House Intelligence Committee meeting, demanding transparency during the impeachment inquiry.
Approximately two-dozen House Republicans appeared at the press conference before they went inside the closed-door impeachment proceedings.
Scalise blasted the inquiry as an attempt to influence the upcoming 2020 election, saying Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) shouldn’t have that kind of power.
“They call the witnesses ... they don’t even let the president’s legal counsel call the witnesses,” he said.
“Through those hidden closed doors over there Adam Schiff is trying to impeach a president of the United States, behind closed doors, literally trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election a year before Americans get to go to the polls to decide who’s going to be the president. And frankly it should be the people of this country who decide who’s going to be the president, not Nancy Pelosi, not Adam Schiff behind closed doors,” he added
Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) came up next, saying that the president “is not above justice, but neither is he below it. Facing your accusers, the ability to call witnesses, cross-examination, the right to object to evidence, an ability to attend hearings, depositions, and interviews” are basic rights.
Last week, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) attempted to enter the House Intelligence Committee’s deposition and was not able to attend, as he doesn’t sit on any of the committees conducting the inquiry into impeachment.
Gaetz, on Twitter, said he is leading the delegation of GOP House members into the deposition.
The lawmakers are almost certain to be ejected as they are not members of the committees involved in the depositions.
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