Democrats are expected to hold their first formal vote on impeachment procedures against President Trump on Thursday.
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy applauded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for finally admitting the impeachment inquiry was all a "sham." But it's too late. They've already proven they have no interest in giving Trump his due process. While they proceed with the inquiry, real work is being neglected, Republicans charged on Tuesday. Work on behalf of our brave military.
“The people that are hurting are the American public because of the work that is not being done in Congress today,” McCarthy said. “The funding of our troops, the funding of government, prescription drug prices, our trade, our strength to our economy, can all get done if they’d only focus on the work of why they were elected.”
Congress has 20 days of military funding left, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) reminded his Democratic colleagues. This is no time to hold that funding hostage, particularly after the successful raid against ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“How can you justify praising the military but then not voting to give them the resources they need to do their job?” he asked.
But Democrats are bringing in more witnesses this week as part of their inquiry. Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a purple heart recipient, is expected to testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. He was the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council and reportedly had concerns about something he heard during President Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The whistleblower complaint against Trump accused him of quid pro quo, threatening to withhold military aid from Ukraine if the government did not honor his request to investigate Joe Biden.
"I thank him for his service," McCarthy said of Vindman. "I thank him for his commitment to this country. But he is wrong."
McCarthy stressed that "the entire world has the transcripts" of Trump's call with Ukrainian President Zelensky and can see for themselves that there's no evidence of quid pro quo.
"Nothing in that phone call is impeachable."
The Democrats, McCarthy said, "have put America through a two-year nightmare."