Opinion

Schiff’s impeachment hearings wasting time when Congress must do real work

Rep. Adam Schiff’s House Intelligence Committee has now heard all its announced public hearing impeachment witnesses, yet all those hours of televised testimony plainly failed on their announced goal: to change Americans’ minds.

Part of the problem is that Democrats had already released (or leaked) the best evidence they had, so the public hearings brought zero drama, unless you count the grandstanding on both sides.

More important: Not one witness offered any direct evidence that President Trump did anything clearly impeachable. No one heard him order a quid pro quo, in which Ukraine would gin up “dirt” on Joe Biden in exchange for US aid or a White House meeting.

Not one offered a convincing reason why Trump’s interest in having Ukraine probe potential corruption warrants impeachment, even if it was part of a quid pro quo.

Fact is, Ukrainians were involved in the 2016 election, particularly in the investigation into Paul Manafort. And payments to Biden’s son Hunter by notoriously corrupt Ukrainian energy company Burisma do reek.

Schiff’s top witness, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, even admitted Trump warned against linking US actions to Ukrainian probes: “I want no quid pro quo,” Sondland said Trump told him.

Thursday’s hearings offered more irrelevant testimony: Ex-National Security Council official Fiona Hill called for bipartisan opposition to foreign interference in US elections yet slammed what she called a “fictional narrative” about Ukrainian meddling. A US Embassy official in Kiev, David Holmes, shared his “impression” that Trump froze aid to push for Ukrainian probes, yet the only time he heard the prez mention “investigations” was in a phone call he overheard.

None of this will move the needle for anyone on the fence. And now Dems in swing districts head home for Thanksgiving to hear from voters who must be wondering about the point of it all.

Meanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi just said she doubts Congress has the time to pass the North American trade deal this year. And lawmakers can barely even keep the government funded; this week’s continuing resolution just kicks the can to Dec. 20.

For all their talk of high purpose, it sure looks like Pelosi & Co. are putting on a show to appease the Democratic base instead of doing the work all Americans need done.