We are starting to see why Adam Schiff wanted to keep these testimonies secret, at least for enough time to pass so as to let his preferred narratives take hold. In that sense, he’s succeeded, as much of the buffoonery that’s now being revealed is being ignored, or in some cases, completely misconstrued (see Gordon Sondland’s Revised Testimony About Trump-Ukraine Is Being Completely Misconstrued).
There’s also the fact that Schiff inadvertently confirmed Alexander Vindman illegally leaked top-secret information to the whistle-blower (Eric Ciaramella). I covered that in detail last Friday (see Alexander Vindman’s Testimony Appears to Confirm He Illegally Leaked to the Whistle-Blower).
At one point, Vindman’s lawyer made an absolute fool of himself by mistaking Rep. Elise Stefanik for a staffer and berating her.
This is so condescending to a young female lawmaker. "No, it's not good," @EliseStefanik says in a pitch perfect response. https://t.co/k531X1K1rr
— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) November 8, 2019
This arrogant clown of a lawyer treated the “deposition” as if he were in total control, receiving no push-back from Schiff at all. In fact, Mr. Volkov’s behavior points to a fairly significant level of coordination. There’s no way he’d have burst into this proceeding treating Congressional members with such disrespect if he weren’t told he could get away with it.
Lt. Col. Vindman's lawyer, Michael Volkov, does not hesitate to tell members of Congress what they may and may not do. From the Vindman deposition: pic.twitter.com/YSLiLTckG2
— Byron York (@ByronYork) November 10, 2019
It’s remarkable that Vindman’s attorney acted this way, but he was able to because @RepAdamSchiff has set the contemptible, anger-driven tone.
Patriot @RepLeeZeldin, who was stationed in Iraq in 2006 when his wife went into labor with their twin daughters, deserved better. https://t.co/dXdxfN5kiE
— Keith Rothfus (@KeithRothfus) November 10, 2019
This was just a hot garbage performance, and as you can see by Schiff’s (Chairman in the transcripts) response, he completely blessed the flailing lunacy this lawyer was throwing at duly elected members of Congress. Democrats love to bleat about oversight and civility, yet here’s Schiff giving some guy’s lawyer the run of the place to trash Zeldin and others as if he were talking down to teenagers. Worse, after Volkov shows his backside in such a stark manner, Schiff shuts down the Republicans from asking questions, reinforcing the out of line behavior.
If anyone’s still wondering why Republicans have been so incensed by these proceedings, the above transcripts are a prime example. This entire thing is a total sham. Schiff obviously coordinated with these parties prior to their testimonies, disallowing certain questions and giving the green light to trash Republican members. It’s pretty insane when you read it on paper and I’m sure it was crazier in person.
Right now, the reality is what it is. The Democrats control the House. Yet, eventually this will end up in the Senate. Republicans better be taking notes on how their colleagues were treated in these early hearings. When Vindman gets called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham should absolutely filet him and let anyone else that wants take a slice get theirs as well. My concern is that the “collegial” nature of the Senate will lead to watered-down “bi-partisan” proceedings like we witnessed after the Mueller investigation, whereby Richard Burr essentially ceded control of his committee to Mark Warner.
For the party’s sake in 2020, they had better not blow this with any delusional ideas about decorum. It’s time to fight fire with fire and if they refuse to, voters won’t forget.
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