Impeachment: GOP protest delays deposition
WASHINGTON – About three dozen Republican lawmakers protested Wednesday how House Democrats are conducting the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump and temporarily halted the testimony of Defense Department official Laura Cooper.
A chaotic scene unfolded after Republicans gave speeches and then pushed through the confines of the Capitol complex basement, to make their way into the secure room. Several Capitol police officers stationed themselves outside the secure room, as reporters waited outside for lawmakers.
Cooper, who serves as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, was subpoenaed for a closed-door session with the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Reform committees. She was expected to answer questions about how military aid was withheld from Ukraine as Trump sought the investigation of his rival.
But Cooper’s session was delayed for hours after the scheduled 9:30 a.m. start because Republicans who aren’t members of the committees sought to attend. The deposition began about 3:15 p.m., according to a committee official and Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla.
Under House rules, only members of the committees and their staffers have been allowed in the private sessions that the committees have been conducting for weeks. But Republicans – gave speeches in the hallway-complaining about the lack of access and transparency. Then about two dozen lawmakers demanded entry.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left the room with Cooper during the commotion.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the protest was an “effort to intimidate witnesses who seek to come forward.”
Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., tweeted that Republicans were in the secure room and listening quietly, but that Schiff was “clearly peeved that he will no longer be able to hide his impeachment sham, is threatening Ethics punishment for all of us.”