The House Intelligence Committee show held under the big top is leaving on Thursday after its third day of hearings this week — at least for the moment.
Related: House Impeachment Hearings on Wednesday: Long Day’s Journey into Naught
But not before Democrats took the opportunity to trot out their star attractions.
This tactic, they believe, will leave the strongest possible impression with the host of Marxist wannabes and low-level government employees who are still actually watching these proceedings.
They, and many long-suffering cable news analysts, seem to be here for the duration.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the committee, exited his clown car, in my opinion, to begin the proceedings.
He shared the usual procedural points at the start — and one point in particular was of interest.
He said that intimidation or actions against any of the committee’s witnesses will “not be tolerated.”
So, given that stringent warning, Americans should expect, then, that the chairman will take action at any moment against Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who over the past week has led protests against committee witness Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland at hotel properties owned by Sondland.
Blumenauer accosted guests and blocked entrances to the hotels, according to reports.
This is a direct threat to the ambassador’s livelihood. How is that not intimidation?
So we expect Blumenauer’s arrest by the end of the day. (Uh huh, sure.)
After Schiff spoke, Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) addressed the attendees of today’s circus.
Nunes recounted how in this set-up the Dems had chosen every witness, including those appearing on Thursday.
He told the audience in the room and those watching at home or at work in America that GOP witness requests had been ignored repeatedly.
Nunes then asked for a separate minority event so that the committee could hear from the people whom Dems had excluded to protect themselves and their false narrative. It is unlikely the chairman will grant that fair request — because by doing so, he would unravel all the spin the Dems have engaged in up to this tedious point in the inquisition.
Related: Gordon Sondland: Five Things You Must Know About Him
The witnesses on Thursday are David Holmes and Fiona Hill (shown above).
Holmes is a career Foreign Service Officer with years spent in various posts, including in Ukraine. His demeanor is factual and business-like.
Fiona Hill is a high-level National Security Council staffer who hails from a working-class background in the northern United Kingdom. She emphasized that economic pedigree to such an extent that the class chip on her shoulder is likely visible with the naked eye from the International Space Station.
Hill has also worked at the left-wing Brookings Institution in D.C.
Brookings specializes in staffing the corridors of the federal government with the kind of academic or bureaucrat whose first loyalty is to the concept of state power.
Hill has already taken a publicly hostile approach to GOP members of the committee.
The pair’s opening statements and questioning followed.
LifeZette will cover the events throughout the day and bring our readers the salient points, as always.
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