House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has rejected to call witnesses suggested by Republicans in the House impeachment investigation because “they are irrelevant.”
Nadler appeared on CNN on Sunday to discuss the ongoing impeachment proceedings in the House and provide an update on the articles of impeachment being drafted against President Trump. Host Dana Bash questioned why Democrats have rejected the Republican list of proposed witnesses, including California Rep. Adam Schiff, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Nadler said that the witnesses must be “relevant.”
“I’ve said no to because they’re irrelevant. They [Republicans] can appeal to the full committee if they wish, and we’ll have a vote on that. But like any trial judge, you keep the witnesses to the relevancy,” Nadler said.
“Adam Schiff, they wanted, is not a relevant witness. He didn’t witness anything,” Nadler continued. He later said, “Every procedure, every fairness has been given to them [Republicans]. They have declined to use them.”
Democrats have allowed one Republican witness to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee during impeachment proceedings: George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. Turley did not defend Trump’s conduct, but he accused Democrats of rushing through the impeachment process in a partisan fashion.
Democrats have rejected all other Republican witnesses, such as former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden and his business partner Devon Archer. Republicans have also requested to call the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint launched the impeachment investigation into Trump, as well as former Democratic National Committee staffer Alexandra Chalupa.
