Sen. Mazie Hirono Hits Democratic Colleagues in House on Impeachment: There Should’ve Been ‘All of This Discovery Done’

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) on Monday joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper’s impeachment coverage to criticize her colleagues in the House of Representatives, point at them for not making all the “discovery” regarding the evidence for impeachment in the lower chamber.

“At least as far as this vote on round one, meaning the rules are likely to pass. Senator Schumer says Democrats will fight it. Realistically what options does your party have at least now?” Blitzer asked. 

The Senator who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee responded, “our option is to continue to offer an amendment to the McConnell process, and also during the trial, the house managers will be able to propose motions. So there will be votes. Anytime either side calls for witnesses, there will be votes. That’s what we’re going to do. We can be the loyal opposition to the end. But the good thing, Wolf, is that this is a trial without witnesses or without the appropriate documents. Whoever heard of such a thing. This is why the American people — they are on our side, and wanting to have a fair trial.”

“One of the departures from the Clinton trial is the evidence from the house investigation will not be automatically admitted. It will require a vote. Are you concerned by not subpoenaing witnesses or documents, the house, the House of Representatives may not have the strongest case here, that some of this evidence actual little be dismissed?” Blitzer asked.

“Anytime I hear Mitch McConnell say they’re following the Clinton playbook, I want to say give me a break. This is a massive departure. During the Clinton impeachment there had been a lot of witnesses, a lot of depositions taken, lots of evidence produced. None of which occurred in this instance, with President Trump stone-walling every request. So I’m shocked. But, you know, nothing that Mitch McConnell does to speed up this trial and make it harder for the process to be fair surprises me anymore,” Hirono responded.

CNN’s Jake Tapper then floated to Senator Hirono, “it seems the president is signaling he’ll take this fight directly to the public as his re-election bid looms.”

“Well, apparently he needs his cheering section. And this is a president who just needs to be adulated at all times. He had his supporters who are very noisy about it, he wants them to continue to be noisy on his behalf. At the same time, I doubt very much they’ll be focusing on what he actually did. That’s what this impeachment trial is all about. He shook down the president of another country for his own political purposes. And used almost $400 million taxpayer money as a bribe. I doubt very much his house cheerleaders will be focusing on that. They’ll be focusing on everything else. So this trial as far as the president and Mitch McConnell views it as a one of distraction and if it can,” Hirono stated.

“Twenty-one years ago, during the Senate trial 21 years ago for Bill Clinton’s impeachment, the testimonies were done behind closed doors, videotaped and the video excerpts were shown to the members of the Senate. That would be following the Clinton precedent, would that be acceptable to you?” Tapper asked.

Hirono fired back blasting against her own party, “if we’re following the Clinton precedent, there would have been all of the discovery done at the house level and that’s not what is happening at all. They want to trickle out the — and limit as much as possible anything that any witness that we want can testify to, so that is their whole modus operandi, to limit the information that is produced for our consideration and to the American public. It is all par for the course with those guys.”

Watch above, via CNN.