And They’d Have Gotten Away With It!

If not for those meddling kids!

“I think it's — clearly, the Democrats are trying to lead us away from the purpose of this hearing and that purpose was gaining other peoples' perspective about the use of the inquiry," he said, explaining that the goal wasn't to provide evidence but have a holistic conversation about whether an impeachment was warranted. 

"Today, there is not that direct link," Sessions said about the evidence gathered over the past several years. "The purpose of that inquiry is to determine if there is that link."

 Of course, how do they establish that link without evidence? Conversations are grand; but this ain’t Xitter. This is reality. You don’t establish the validity of an impeachment by the meeting of certain minds (and you didn’t even get that. What, do you need a new panel? And maybe a hearing without the Democrats to spoil your party?).

Further to the point: 

"My colleagues and I have spent nine months gathering information, vetting allegations, and establishing the concerning fact pattern upon which this inquiry is based."

And after 9 months you still don’t have evidence to turn this “fact pattern” into a grounded allegation? So what’s the excuse? You just need another 9 months? Is it more likely you have a fact pattern you want to see, but no evidence for that fact pattern? Is.Biden that clever? Or are you looking for something that simply isn’t there?

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) made similar comments, confessing that they don't have any evidence. He explained that the purpose of the first hearing "is to establish the predicate for going to get additional information that the committee needs to finish its investigation."

And yet you couldn’t do that much. Doesn’t seem like such a heavy lift after 9 months. Unless you are trying to lift nothing; that’s the heaviest lift of all.

"Prof. [Jonathan] Turley said in a sense he needs to see more than what's been laid out, but that's the purpose of the inquiry," Donalds continued. "If we felt we had everything necessary for articles of impeachment, we would have dropped articles of impeachment. That's why we're in the inquiry phase, to get that information to get a final determination if an impeachment is warranted or not."

Turley wants to see more if the goal is establishing a high crime or misdemeanor. What he meant was, you ain’t close to being there yet. Talking to non-witnesses (none of the witnesses today had information; just speculation) is not moving toward that goal. What you clearly hoped for was some new basis to demagogue on; and you didn’t even get that.

As Rep. Markowitz said, this was an:

"unmitigated disaster for the Republicans. Their own witness says there isn't any evidence to impeach Joe Biden. These guys are going to need a federal declaration. They're going to need FEMA to bail them out, that's how bad the disaster is."