What Went Down On Day 1 Of The Impeachment Hearings

It’s worth noticing the characters in the Ukraine saga who almost certainly won’t be appearing in this first phase of the public hearings — including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who said the White House ordered the freeze on the security assistance but quickly backtracked. The White House’s refusal to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry hasn’t stopped Taylor, Kent and more than a dozen other witnesses from testifying, but it does mean that some of the key players aren’t sharing what they know. Democrats are betting they don’t need that testimony — and we’ll soon see if they’re right.

Plus, Micah, “bribery” is in the Constitution, so Democrats want to zero in on that language. (“The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” — U.S. Constitution, Article II, section 4)

Yeah, Clare, that was a clear misstep on Schiff’s part — it rung oddly even in real time. Sober and fact-laden seems like the much better approach.