Several House Republicans said they were blocked from the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, including one who said it was the first time in nearly 17 years in Congress he was blocked from reviewing documents.
“This morning, I was denied access to any and all classified documents related to impeachment. In my nearly 17 years in Congress, this is the first time that I’ve been unable to review documentation being held at the House Intel Committee. This is completely unacceptable,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said in a statement.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) said he tried to join the impeachment inquiry closed-door session being held on Oct. 16 but was denied access.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) gained access to an impeachment inquiry hearing on Monday but was thrown out.
Biggs told reporters that the inquiry is not formal because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) didn’t hold a House vote authorizing the inquiry. There are major discrepancies between what’s happening and the normal course of events in Congress, he alleged.
Mario Diaz-Balart✔@MarioDBThis morning, I was denied access to any and all classified documents related to impeachment. In my nearly 17 years in Congress, this is the first time that I’ve been unable to review documentation being held at the House Intel Committee. This is completely unacceptable.
Rep Andy Biggs✔@RepAndyBiggsAZI was just denied access to Adam Schiff’s secret chamber where he is running the unauthorized impeachment inquiry of @POTUS @realDonaldTrump.
Chairman Schiff and Speaker Pelosi are intentionally running Soviet-style hearings to deprive the American people of representation.
“If you had a formal impeachment inquiry you wouldn’t be having Soviet-style secret hearings where we have to go plead and say, ‘Can we come in?’ Because normally, every member of Congress can go into any committee hearing that’s ongoing and we can sit there and we can actually go up to somebody sitting at the stand and say, ‘How about this question, you might consider this.’ You can’t do that here.”
Biggs also hit Democrats for refusing to release transcripts from the closed-door depositions of current and former State Department personnel who have testified before several committees in the hearings.
“Why can’t we see the transcript? They don’t know why we can’t see the transcript, only that we can’t see the transcript!” Biggs said.
Biggs said House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who fabricated portions of the Trump phone call transcript, is holding back the deposition transcripts to dictate what’s happening.
Moar at link