I didn’t think this needed to be said, but now that a certain candidate is on FOX every night registering doe-eyed complaints, I feel the need to say it.
Closed-door depositions are just one aspect of the impeachment inquiry. They are not the ONLY mechanism that’s being utilized. But let’s talk about them.
First, Republicans ARE part of these depositions. Here is a list of the Republicans who were allowed to be present at the deposition yesterday:
intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-mi…
intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-mi…
And then of course these are the Dems: intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-ma…
So, why a closed-door deposition vs. a public hearing? Several reasons.
1. security issues: You may recall hearings with members of the IC where they repeatedly say they can’t answer this or that question in an open format. This problem is circumvented with a closed door deposition with HPSCI.
As you may have noticed yesterday morning, their deposition was in a SCIF (a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) for this very reason.
2. tipping off co-conspirators: in a criminal investigation, witnesses and/or other people aren’t questioned on live TV.
The reason for this should be obvious - it would tip off co-conspirators, possibly prompting them to change/coordinate their stories, destroy evidence, tamper with witnesses, flee the country, or all of those things.
While impeachment isn't a criminal proceeding, we certainly have plenty of people behaving like criminals, with a criminal mentality. We need to proceed accordingly.
3. grand-standing: if you’ve watched public hearings, you’ve probably noticed theatrics on both sides. Absent an audience, there’s little motivation to waste time with soliloquies and meat-throwing.
4. time: again, if you’ve watched public hearings, you know that each rep has 5 minutes to ask a question AND receive an answer, THEN if time still allows, ask a follow-up. How far do you think you'd get on something extremely complex (like money laundering) in a few minutes?
On top of that, see: Whitaker. He ran the clock out on every question during his hearing. NOT POSSIBLE in a closed-door deposition.
This format 1. allows HIRED STAFF (usually a highly skilled attorney) to ask questions 2. take as long as necessary 3. continue the same line of questioning until they have a satisfactory answer.
In short: these closed-door depositions are a preparation for open hearings. They're highly effective and essential to the process. Anyone complaining about them has bad motives.
