House
Republicans hold a news conference before heading into a closed-door meeting
where Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper was set to testify as
part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump, on Oct. 23, 2019.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Three dozen Republican lawmakers not on the
House Intelligence Committee are demanding transparency from Democrats; Griff
Jenkins reports on the altercation.
House Republicans led by Rep. Matt
Gaetz, R-Fla., on Wednesday essentially stormed a closed-door session
connected to the impeachment investigation of President Trump,
prompting House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff to suspend the
proceedings in a remarkable scene.
The stand-off happened after lawmakers held a
press conference Wednesday morning where they accused House Democrats of a
lack of transparency.
“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,” Gaetz said.
The Republicans specifically called out
Schiff, D-Calif., who is leading the investigation.
“What is Adam Schiff trying to hide?” asked
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. “I think that’s the question so many
people have, so many of my colleagues have, so many people in the press should
have.”
“Voting members of Congress are being denied
access from being able to see what’s happening behind these closed doors where
they’re trying to impeach the president of the United States with a one-sided
set of rules,” Scalise continued. “They call the witnesses. They don’t let
anybody else call the witnesses.”
“We’re
gonna go and see if we can get inside,” Gaetz said at the conclusion of the
press conference.
From there, about 30 House Republicans
flooded the room where Laura Cooper, who oversees Ukraine policy at the
Department of Defense, was set to testify.
Because there was no agreement for
non-committee members to be present, this 'sit-in' created an immediate
standoff. Fox News is told that Schiff did not ask the U.S. Capitol Police to
arrest or remove Republicans who charged in -- but he did leave the room and
apparently does not plan to start the interview until the situation is
resolved.
Fox News is told about a dozen Republicans
are still in the secure facility known as a SCIF. In another complication, some
non-committee members brought in phones and other electronic devices in
possible violation of House rules.
GOP lawmakers flooded Twitter with posts from
the scene.
"Adam Schiff just SHUT DOWN his secret
underground impeachment hearing after I led a group of Republicans into the
room. Now he's threatening me with an Ethics complaint! I'm on the Armed
Services Cmte but being blocked from the Dept. Asst. SecDef's testimony. This
is a SHAM!" Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., tweeted.
Democrats slammed them in response. Rep.
Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted: "This is what happens when people elect
members more interested in media hits than the protection of our national
security."
Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told
reporters that Schiff left the room without letting Marshall or other
non-committee Republicans hear testimony.
“He doesn’t have the guts to come talk to
us,” Marshall said. “He left. He just got up and left. He doesn’t have the guts
to tell us why we can’t come in the room, why he doesn’t want this to be
transparent. It’s the biggest facade, the biggest farce I’ve ever seen in
my life.”
Gaetz, a member of the House Judiciary
Committee, was kicked out of another session earlier this month where former
deputy assistant to the president Fiona Hill faced questions behind closed
doors. Gaetz was told he could not attend because he is not part of the House
Intelligence Committee, which is conducting the investigation along with the
House Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees.
"Judiciary Chairman [Jerry Nadler]
claimed to have begun the impeachment inquiry weeks ago,” Gaetz tweeted at the
time. “Now, his own Judiciary members aren’t even allowed to participate in it.
And yes - my constituents want me actively involved in stopping the
#KangarooCourtCoup run by Shifty Schiff."
Republicans are not the only ones criticizing
the investigation for its lack of transparency. Democratic presidential
candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, said Tuesday she was “disappointed with
the lack of transparency,” and warned that it could “undermine the integrity”
of the investigation.
Democrats began calling witnesses for
questioning behind closed doors after an anonymous whistleblower filed a complaint
over a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky. Trump is accused of using military aid to Ukraine as leverage to
pressure Zelensky into assisting investigations of alleged Democratic collusion
with Ukraine in the 2016 election, as well as former vice president Joe Biden
and his son Hunter’s business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma
Holdings.
Fox News’ Griff Jenkins, Guerin Hays and
Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
