GOP leader Nunes bashes impeachment, Democrats, media at packed Franklin County event

President Trump will not win the 2020 election without support from the people of rural Pennsylvania, a leading Republican involved in the impeachment hearings told hundreds of people in Franklin County Saturday morning.

Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, was at the Franklin Fire Company in Chambersburg to talk about his views of the constitutional process that is underway to determine if Trump should be held responsible for briefly withholding $400 million in military aid from Ukraine unless the country opened investigations into the family of his top political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, and its own meddling in the 2016 election. He answered questions alongside Rep. John Joyce, R-13, of whom he was the special guest. 

Nunes said he attended the event as part of his effort to reach out to areas of the country that play large roles in the 2020 election. Pennsylvania was one of three states, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, that decided the 2016 election. 

Answering questions from hosts from NewsTalk 103.7 FM before 325 people who paid $20 to attend the ticketed event, Nunes railed against Democrats, the way in which the hearings have been carried out, the media and other typical targets of the right. Members of the audience shouted affirming comments and applauded throughout. 

He said that in his view, the impeachment inquiry is an extension of the investigation into whether Trump was involved in Russia’s meddling of the 2016 election. The impeachment “operation” got underway after “the Russian hoax imploded in July,” he said.

News of the whistleblower complaint that kickstarted the impeachment inquiry broke in September. It accused Trump of threatening Ukraine’s president during a July 25 phone call that the U.S. would withhold aid if the investigations he desired were not carried out.

Congressional committees held closed-door meetings with various officials through October. The House voted to authorize official impeachment hearings Oct. 31, and public hearings began last week.

The White House issued a letter blocking officials from testifying, although some have defied the order. Several key figures, however, are fighting subpoenas ordering their testimony. They include chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who in October admitted during a live, televised press conference that Trump ordered him to withhold aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to open the investigations.

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Asked if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should refuse to host a trial should the House vote for impeachment, Nunes disagreed, saying, to the audience’s applause, “the only way to expose these fools is to have a trial.” He added later that he believes the Democrats have no choice now but to vote for impeachment, because their base would revolt if not. 

Nunes claimed the Republicans have not been afforded due process because none of their proposed witnesses are being brought in to testify. (On Sunday, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, said Trump is welcome to testify and encouraged him to let those around him to testify as well.)

"Look, we can't even go out and get evidence because we don’t have subpoena power.  How do you build a case for your side?" Nunes said. 

Earlier this month, Nunes provided a list of 10 names for requested testimony to Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, which included Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden and former board member of a Ukrainian energy company, and the whistleblower. 

Whistleblowers – government workers who report possibly illegal activity - are protected by federal law from retaliation, threatened or actual. While the revealing of their name is not illegal, people from both parties have said exposing the person’s name could put them at risk for retaliation and could put a chilling effect on future would-be whistleblowers.

Asked about seeking information about the whistleblower's coordination with Democrats and other parties the person was involved with, Nunes accused Democrats and the media of ignoring and not taking seriously the dealings Republicans have found shady, such as the origin and sources of the Steele dossier and improper use of FISA warrants.

Nunes additionally said the media has not paid attention to a certain piece a testimony last week from the former ambassador to Ukraine, which revealed a "little piece of evidence" regarding Hunter Biden's role in Ukraine. 

Earlier in the question-and-answer session, when asked about upcoming impeachment hearings, Nunes encouraged the audience to ignore news coverage that they do not agree with, saying: "You're gonna hear lots of nasty things that the mainstream media's gonna talk about. Please turn it off or just go lie down until the feeling goes away and try to get real news.”

Nunes told the audience to look out this week for testimony from "a lieutenant colonel who was in the White House and clearly was the one who talked to the whistleblower." 

"I can tell you, they're (the Republicans) not gonna let us ask questions about who this person spoke to and how this whole mess got started," Nunes said. 

He added that despite accusations that Republicans are trying to out the whistleblower, they really do not know the person's name. According to him, making that accusation means Democrats know the identity despite saying they don't. 

More:U.S. Rep. John Joyce focuses on border security, immigration during first month in office

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Joyce repeats need for 'fair and transparent process'

Joyce, whose district includes Franklin, Adams and Fulton counties, told the audience during the event that "all eyes are upon us. We have to work together. We have to find a conservative agenda that we can teach our children, that we can teach our neighbors. We have to be the calm consistent common-sense approach. We have to be able to be out there and fight for freedoms our country has given us."

During an interview later with Public Opinion, Joyce said it was important for local people to hear from Nunes, who is "advocating for a fair and transparent process."

Asked to react to Nunes' statement about ignoring coverage of the impeachment hearings, Joyce said that while he does not think the mainstream media has fairly reported on the inquiry, he personally makes a point to take in news from a variety of media. 

While the country as a whole is divided on impeachment and Trump's presidency overall, Joyce said he believes the people in his district are, for the most part, united in their support for the president; it showed in the quick sell-out of Saturday's event, he added.  For those who don't support Trump, however, Joyce encouraged them to ask the Democrats for "a fair and transparent process." 

Joyce said he hopes the House can soon get back to working on legislation. He and Nunes had previously talked at the event about how they expect the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement to come to a vote before the end of the year.