House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., cut off Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., during Wednesday’s public hearing in the House impeachment inquiry as the Republican lawmaker tried to bring up Schiff’s controversial parody of President Trump’s July phone call with the Ukrainian president.
“I would like to enter into the record the transcript from the July 25 call between President Trump and President Zelensky,” Stefanik said. “You yourself, Mr. Chairman, have mischaracterized the call.”
Schiff quickly interjected.
“The gentlewoman will suspend,” he said. “By unanimous consent, I’d be happy to enter the record into the record.”
Schiff, who is leading one of the committees investigating Trump in the impeachment inquiry announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has been under fire from conservatives for the “parody” of the president’s call with Zelensky, which he read at a hearing in September that featured testimony from Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire.
Maguire was on Capitol Hill to defend his handling of the whistleblower complaint, which contains allegations related to Trump’s call with Zelensky in which the American president urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate alleged corruption involving the Bidens.