Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Monday he agrees with one of President Trump’s gripes about the ongoing impeachment inquiry — there is too much focus on the process.
The New York Democrat said on the Senate floor that Trump’s claims that the impeachment inquiry’s focus on the process was distracting from the allegations of a quid pro quo with Ukraine.
“The president himself is saying all this stuff about process is a diversion, look at the substance. We want to look at the substance, that’s what the House is doing,” Mr. Schumer said.
“We have a responsibility, a responsibility, a constitutional responsibility to grapple with the facts in the public record and … ultimately make ultimate judgments based on the merits of the case,” he said. “So the president of the United States, in this case, happens to be right — Republicans in the House and Senate should focus on the details of the case rather than the process.”
House Democrats said Monday they were planning a vote formalizing their next steps in their impeachment inquiry. The Democrats’ resolution would create a procedure for impeachment hearings to ensure that they are “open to the American people,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Republicans have complained that there has been a lack of transparency in the House impeachment inquiry. Last week, House Republicans stormed a secure room where lawmakers had been meeting in private to work on the inquiry. Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, subsequently introduced a resolution urging the House to vote on the impeachment inquiry.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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