Judge Napolitano Schools Fox & Friends: Schiff Just Following House Rules on Impeachment
Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano pushed back on Thursday morning against conservative complaints that impeachment depositions have been held behind closed doors, noting that House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) was following congressional rules and the precedent set by previous impeachments.
Appearing on President Donald Trump’s favorite morning program Fox & Friends, Napolitano argued that by holding a vote on an impeachment resolution, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was giving Republicans what they claim they wanted.
“Republicans are looking for more transparency so that the better cross examiners among them can challenge the credibility and the essence of the testimony of the witnesses,” Napolitano said. “Right now all that’s going on in secret.”
The judge went on to point out that during President Clinton’s impeachment, the House obtained a large amount of evidence from independent counsel Ken Starr, who obtained than in secret through grand jury testimony.
“Nothing was used against Bill Clinton that came from Ken Starr that wasn’t at some point filtered through the public,” he added. “So that the president’s lawyers can challenge it. That’s what this procedure permits.”
Napolitano, who has been one of the rare Fox News voices pushing back against Trumpworld’s “witch hunt” narrative on impeachment, then defended Schiff’s handling of the inquiry so far.
“Congressman Schiff is, in my opinion, following the rules of the House of Representatives,” he declared. “You generate the information in secret. You decide which you want to make public.”
Co-host Steve Doocy, meanwhile, claimed that while Republicans are now getting the procedure vote they asked for they “also want it to be fair” and that “there is nothing fair about this.”
“Congress has some screwy rules,” Doocy exclaimed.
“Congress does,” Napolitano agreed, adding: “The rules were written in 2015 when Republicans controlled Congress. And now they are stuck with those rules.”
