House Republicans stormed a closed-door impeachment hearing to protest the inquiry, breaking Congressional rules

• About 30 House Republicans, headed by Rep. Matt Gaetz, stormed a closed-door impeachment hearing on Wednesday to protest the inquiry and refused to leave until Democrats held an open hearing.
• They forced their way in as Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, was providing private testimony, according to Axios.
• They said they were protesting the lack of transparency in the impeachment process, and refused to leave until the hearings were made public, despite longstanding rules that witnesses are interviewed in classified settings.
• Many Republican lawmakers reportedly tweeted from inside a classified area where cellphones are not allowed, The Daily Beast reported.
• President Donald Trump had advance knowledge of the protest and supported the group of Republicans, according to a report from Bloomberg.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

House Republicans stormed a closed-door impeachment hearing on Wednesday to protest the inquiry and refused to leave until Democrats held an open hearing.

About 30 House Republicans, headed by Rep. Matt Gaetz, forced their way into the hearing as Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, was providing private testimony as part of the impeachment inquiry inside the House Intelligence Committee’s Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), according to Axios.

They said they were protesting the lack of transparency in the impeachment process, and refused to leave until the hearings were made public, despite longstanding rules that witnesses are interviewed in classified settings.

Many Republican lawmakers reportedly tweeted from inside the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or SCIF — a classified area where cellphones are not allowed, The Daily Beast reported.

President Donald Trump had advance knowledge of the protest and supported the group of Republicans, according to a report from Bloomberg. Sources told Bloomberg that Trump met with 30 House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss Syria and the impeachment inquiry.

Bloomberg reported that Trump supported the group’s plan to storm the secure room because he wanted transcripts released that he said would exonerate them.

—Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) October 23, 2019

—Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) October 23, 2019

Gaetz’s Twitter account tweeted from inside the area: “BREAKING: I led over 30 of my colleagues into the SCIF where Adam Schiff is holding secret impeachment depositions. Still inside – more details to come.”

He later added “**Tweet from Staff**”

—Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 23, 2019

The group even, reportedly, ordered pizza. 

—Sam Stein (@samstein) October 23, 2019

Read more: Trump portrayed himself as the ultimate victim by describing impeachment as ‘a lynching.’ We talked to historians who say the comparison is ‘laughably absurd’ and ‘deeply offensive.’

Real Life. Real News. Real Voices

Help us tell more of the stories that matter

Become a founding member

The tweets from inside the secure area forced police to perform a security breach sweep of the area, Axios reported.

In response to the protest, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff left the hearing with Cooper and postponed the testimony indefinitely, according to The Hill.

Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, said Schiff said nothing before leaving with Cooper.

“He doesn’t have the guts to come talk to us,” Marshall told The Hill. “He left, he just got up and left. He doesn’t have the guts to tell us why we can’t come in the room, why he doesn’t want this to be transparent. It’s the biggest facade, biggest farce of my life.”

• Read more:
• Trump is finally facing impeachment, but another, bigger cover-up is continuing in broad daylight
• Trump risked impeachment to pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden. That was a huge miscalculation.
• Mitch McConnell warns Republicans in private meeting that Trump’s impeachment trial could start as soon as November
• Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross blasts Democrats as ‘hell-bent on impeaching the most successful president since Ronald Reagan’