Adam Schiff Hints He'll Push House to Impeach Trump for 'Witnesses Obstruction'
House Intelligence Committee Chairman accuses WH of blocking witnesses
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said the White House is obstructing the Democrats' impeachment inquiry due to the U.S. ambassador to the European Union and the other key witnesses being blocked from giving testimony.
“We consider this act today, and the withholding of the ambassador’s documents and other efforts to discourage other State Department witnesses, as further acts of obstruction of a co-equal branch of government,” Schiff said Tuesday.
Schiff made the accusation after Gordon Sondland’s testimony was blocked by the State Department hours before his scheduled appearance at a closed-door session on Capitol Hill.
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But the Trump administration disputes that the House is not conducting a formal impeachment inquiry due to no votes being given by the democrats to launch an investigation - this would have required formalizing rules for conducting a probe, and provided some rights to the minority GOP.
Republicans backed the Trump administration’s decision.
“What we see in this impeachment inquiry is a kangaroo court, and Chairman Schiff is acting like a malicious kangaroo,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York branded the probe as “a clown show.”
Republicans want the Democrats to hold a vote on opening an impeachment inquiry.
They also want the release of transcripts of prior closed-door hearings, as opposed to providing selective leaks that support their narrative that justifies the impeachment inquiry.
Trump Calls For Investigation Into Adam Schiff For “Defrauding The American People”
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) October 7, 2019
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Schiff is now planning to hold a closed hearing with the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower, which would hide the individuals' identity from Republican lawmakers.
Both Schiff and Democrats are seemingly attempting to build an impeachment case based on their view that Trump is obstructing Congress.
“It’s hard to overstate the significance of not just Ambassador Sondland’s testimony and documents, but testimony of others as well,” Schiff told reporters Tuesday.
“The failure to produce this eyewitnesses and these documents, we consider strong evidence of obstruction of the Constitution and Congress as a co-equal branch of government.”
On Tuesday, Trump called for Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be impeached for 'treason.'
Trump echoed Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik's comments, who told Fox News last week that Schiff should be arrested and "charged with conspiracy to commit treason," accusing the whistleblower of working against the current administration.
