https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...ons-ukraine-expert/ar-AAJdUKC?ocid=spartanntp
Pentagon’s Ukraine expert resumes impeachment testimony after Republican protest causes 5-hour delay
The planned impeachment testimony from a Pentagon official responsible for Ukraine policy resumed Wednesday afternoon after several of President Trump’s congressional allies staged a demonstration against the probe and barged into a secure facility on Capitol Hill, causing a more than five-hour delay.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper was due to speak at 10 a.m. in closed testimony focused on the mechanics of U.S. security assistance for Ukraine and fallout from the White House’s decision to withhold it for several months. But conservative lawmakers disrupted her session as it was about to begin, refusing to leave the secure room where impeachment witnesses have met with lawmakers. ....
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The standoff brought unexpected drama to a day which lawmakers expected to be fairly quiet.
Before Cooper’s testimony was to begin, about two dozen conservative Republican members led by Gaetz gathered near the deposition room to protest what they described as Democrats’ secretive approach to the inquiry. Several accused Democratic leaders of trying to undo the 2016 election result, rallying behind a talking point promoted by House GOP leaders.
“If behind those doors, they intend to overturn the result of an American presidential election, we want to know what’s going on,” Gaetz said, accusing Democrats of being “obsessed with attacking a president who we believe has not done anything to deserve impeachment.”
The group walked into the restricted area en masse, and chants of “let us in” were heard from outside.
A shouting match ensued between Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and some Democrats in the room, according to Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who witnessed the scene.
At one point, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Texas), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, started to collect the Republicans’ phones, appearing to realize having the electronics there was a bad idea, Connolly said.
Gohmert, one of Trump’s top defenders, used the opportunity to rail against what he described as injustice toward the president. Many Democrats sat watching, not wanting to engage.
Minutes after entering, several members of the group who do not sit on committees involved in the inquiry walked out, saying they were barred from the room.
The demonstration was the second attempt by non-committee Republicans to gain access in two weeks. ....
Pentagon’s Ukraine expert resumes impeachment testimony after Republican protest causes 5-hour delay
The planned impeachment testimony from a Pentagon official responsible for Ukraine policy resumed Wednesday afternoon after several of President Trump’s congressional allies staged a demonstration against the probe and barged into a secure facility on Capitol Hill, causing a more than five-hour delay.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper was due to speak at 10 a.m. in closed testimony focused on the mechanics of U.S. security assistance for Ukraine and fallout from the White House’s decision to withhold it for several months. But conservative lawmakers disrupted her session as it was about to begin, refusing to leave the secure room where impeachment witnesses have met with lawmakers. ....
.....
The standoff brought unexpected drama to a day which lawmakers expected to be fairly quiet.
Before Cooper’s testimony was to begin, about two dozen conservative Republican members led by Gaetz gathered near the deposition room to protest what they described as Democrats’ secretive approach to the inquiry. Several accused Democratic leaders of trying to undo the 2016 election result, rallying behind a talking point promoted by House GOP leaders.
“If behind those doors, they intend to overturn the result of an American presidential election, we want to know what’s going on,” Gaetz said, accusing Democrats of being “obsessed with attacking a president who we believe has not done anything to deserve impeachment.”
The group walked into the restricted area en masse, and chants of “let us in” were heard from outside.
A shouting match ensued between Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and some Democrats in the room, according to Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who witnessed the scene.
At one point, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Texas), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, started to collect the Republicans’ phones, appearing to realize having the electronics there was a bad idea, Connolly said.
Gohmert, one of Trump’s top defenders, used the opportunity to rail against what he described as injustice toward the president. Many Democrats sat watching, not wanting to engage.
Minutes after entering, several members of the group who do not sit on committees involved in the inquiry walked out, saying they were barred from the room.
The demonstration was the second attempt by non-committee Republicans to gain access in two weeks. ....
