Chris Wallace Shuts Down GOP Argument on Impeachment: ‘It Was a Lot More Than a Phone Call. It Was a Coordinated Campaign.’

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace rejected an argument from President Donald Trump’s defenders — claiming say there is nothing controversial to be gleaned from the president’s phone call with the president of Ukraine — as the impeachment inquiry progresses and gathers evidence.

Wallace appeared on America’s Newsroom Thursday, where he pushed back on conservative pundit Bill Bennett and Republicans arguing that Trump’s conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky was just “a phone call.”

“It was a lot more than a phone call. It was a coordinated campaign,” Wallace said. “What you’ve heard from Bill Taylor and Fiona Hill and Colonel Vindman and a bunch of others is that this was a coordinated campaign by people outside the regular diplomatic channels at the State Department to put pressure on Ukraine to do certain things…It didn’t begin and end with a phone call.”

Bill Hemmer followed up by asking Wallace about the testimony of Tim Morrison, the top Europe and Russia adviser of the National Security Council, along with questions about what could happen once the impeachment inquiry goes public. Wallace noted that the inquiry is insulated from surprises because of the closed-door interviews the House has conducted with witnesses, and both parties will have “a pretty good sense by the time they go public as to what their story is.”

“For all of our talk of what public opinion is now, I don’t think it matters because in the end, once you hear these people in person, live, we’re all able to judge for ourselves,” Wallace said. Is Bill Taylor going to be as explosive as his testimony was, or not? Is Colonel Vindman going to be? Are there going to be contradictions? Are Republicans going to bring up counter evidence? It’ll almost start all over again and I think public opinion will really be determined by the public hearings.”

Watch above, via Fox News.