House impeachment strategy silences Trump’s staunchest defenders

House Democrats’ strategy will exclude some of President Trump’s staunchest defenders from public impeachment hearings that the world will be watching.

Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Lee Zeldin of New York, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania are among the Republicans on three committees who have taken part in closed-door depositions of witnesses Democrats say can prove Trump abused his office by seeking Ukraine’s help investigating his political opponents.