CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert gloated on Monday that the pressure on President Donald Trump is about to be turned up a notch, as Democrats press ahead with their impeachment inquiry into his supposedly “illegal” conversation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
In his nightly monologue, the CBS host explained how Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) had instructed House investigators to begin publishing transcripts of closed-door testimony, starting with the testimony with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and P. Michael McKinley, who previously worked as an adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“Up until now, the GOP’s main argument was that the process has been ‘secretive’ and ‘unfair,’” Stephen Colbert began. “But today, ahead of the impeachment inquiry, Adam Schiff, started releasing the closed-door testimony. Oh… Schiff just got real.”
“Now there’s a lot to unpack. Just the first two transcripts that were released are nearly-500 pages combined,” he continued. “Though I am sure that [Attorney General] Bill Barr can get that down to two,” a reference to Barr’s concise summary of the Mueller report.
In an interview with MSNBC on Monday, Schiff argued that the depositions proved that Republicans have been able to participate in proceedings.
“There are a few things that will become immediately clear when you [read the transcripts]: And the first is that, contrary to the claims of the president and his acolytes on the Hill, that these have been proceedings in which the Republicans have not been able to be present or ask questions,” he said.
“In fact, Republicans were present for all of these depositions, and in fact, they had equal opportunity with Democrats to ask questions,” he added. “And you will see, they took full advantage of those opportunities to ask questions.”
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