Republicans blast Pelosi following vote on impeachment resolution

Top Republicans in the House slammed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) following the passage of the impeachment process resolution on Thursday, noting that the California Democrat previously called for any action on impeachment to be bipartisan.

During a press conference following the vote, numerous GOP lawmakers pointed to the two Democrats who broke party lines and voted against the measure — which lays the groundwork for public hearings for the ongoing impeachment inquiry and outlines the procedure for releasing the transcripts from the closed-door testimonies — arguing it was not the bipartisan vote Democratic leaders were looking for.

“What has changed since March? In all the hearings there is nothing compelling, nothing overwhelming, so the Speaker should follow her own words on that bipartisan vote on that floor and end the sham that has been putting the country through this nightmare — that is exactly what this vote shows today,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters.{mosads}

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and one of President Trump’s leading defenders throughout the course of the inquiry, accused members across the aisle of displaying an “eagerness and happiness” to impeach the president.

“In a way, I say congratulations to Nancy Pelosi: she wanted a bipartisan vote on her impeachment resolution — she got it,” he said. “There are a number of other Democrats who chose to vote the wrong way who should have voted no.”

“And they won’t be here to serve with us anymore come January of 2021,” Zeldin continued. “Nancy Pelosi, as the leader for her conference, has chosen to sacrifice a few of her own members. Those members are going to lose for all the right reasons.”

GOP lawmakers have been highly critical of the process Democrats have undertaken since launching the probe in September, arguing that it has lacked transparency.

Meanwhile, Democrats have adamantly defended their actions, insisting that the closed-door inquiry was necessary due to the gravity of the allegations outlined in the whistleblower report. Democrats have also pointed to Thursday’s resolution as an effort to increase transparency.

However, Republicans feel the vote was too little too late, and codifies proceedings they view as unfair.

“This is a process that has been fundamentally tainted. The president has had no rights inside these hearings, his counsel has not been able to be present,” said House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (Wyo.)

“So for them now to plan that they’re suddenly going to open the process up, which by the way this resolution does not do — the resolution says that they’re going to continue doing what they want to do, it gives authority for open hearings, but they cannot go back and fix what is a fundamentally tainted and unfair record,” she continued.

GOP lawmakers have largely remained unified in their defense of Trump as Democrats have worked to accelerate the proceedings, asserting that they do not believe there is evidence of quid pro quo.

Roughly three dozen GOP lawmakers who attended the post-vote press conference enthusiastically responded “yes” when asked whether the would go on the record stating they don’t think there was any wrongdoing on behalf of the president. 

Zeldin dismissed accusations that Republicans have failed to defend the substance of the information that has emerged from the hearings, instead demanding that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) release the transcripts of testimonies that have taken place in closed hearings and applauding the president’s call for Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

“Let’s have a conversation about substance, because I’ll tell you what, you [Democrats] lost the conversation about process. You’re losing the conversation about process. Bring it on about substance because our president was right to be concerned about corruption,” he said.

“Our president was right in line to look at interference in the 2016 election, and the president of the United States is right to be concerned about a corrupt foreign company run by a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch hiring a son of the vice president with no energy experience, no Ukraine experience for at least $50,000 a year — $50,000 a month,” he added.