Unprofessional Dems take photos of Hope Hicks during closed door testimony

The Democrats’ treatment of Hope Hicks at a closed-door deposition last week was unprofessional and downright sleazy.

After summoning Hicks from California to testify about the Mueller investigation, Democrats on Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY) panel did more than waste her time. They reportedly took photos of Hicks during the hearing, while Nadler referred to her by the wrong name multiple times. Even CNN complained about the Democrats’ “amateur and offensive” behavior.

Sleazy Dems

Democrats on Nadler’s panel subpoenaed Hicks in May, as part of their effort to “re-do” the Mueller probe. Like other Trump witnesses, Hicks had already provided several hours of testimony to the Mueller team.

Democrats on Nadler’s panel should have been glad that Hicks even bothered to show up. When she did, the Democrats showed how seriously they take their “constitutional oversight.”

A transcript of Hicks’ behind-closed-doors testimony that was released Thursday reveals that Jerry Nadler, the Democrat who has spent the last couple months intoning gravely about a “constitutional crisis,” referred to Hicks three times as “Ms. Lewandowski” — a sleazy reference to a rumored affair between Hicks and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Seeing that Nadler subpoenaed Hicks and had to fight to get her testimony — and that Nadler grilled Hicks extensively on Trump’s relationship with Lewandowksi — it’s hard to believe this was a mistake.

After Nadler called Hicks “Ms. Lewandowski” for the third time, Hicks corrected Nadler: “My name is Ms. Hicks.” “Sorry, I’m preoccupied,” was his answer.

For no clear purpose, Democrats also apparently took photos of Hicks, and didn’t stop until her lawyer asked them to desist, saying it was making Hicks “uncomfortable.” When prompted, Nadler called off the picture taking. From the transcript:

Mr. Trout:   Mr. Chairman, I think there are a number of people taking pictures here, and I just want to say that I think it’s making the witness uncomfortable. And I would very much appreciate it as a courtesy, if nothing else, if we could —

Chairman Nadler:   That’s fine. If people will please refrain from taking pictures.

CNN slams Nadler’s panel

Even CNN found the Democrats’ behavior offensive. In a panel discussion Friday, anchor John King noted that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) promised that the Democrats would be “serious, credible, and prepared” in their investigations.

“A: Why are congresspeople taking pictures of a witness? If you’re having a serious, prepared, thorough investigation, what is that all about?” King asked. “And then B, for the conversation, Nadler himself, who called off the picture-taking there, repeatedly referred to her as Ms. Lewandowski. Cory Lewandowski was the campaign manager.”

“He fought to get her testimony. He knows her name is Hope Hicks … If you’re going to make the case to the American people that you’re conducting serious, credible investigations and you’re prepared, why be amateur and offensive?” King asked.

CNN White House reporter Abby Phillips agreed that Nadler’s behavior was “offensive” and added that he owes Hicks an apology. “It definitely undermines the case. It’s clearly unprofessional for people to be taking pictures in a closed hearing. Kind of unbelievable they would even do that, but on the Lewandowski thing, there’s a big debate about whether it was an intentional slip of the tongue, whatever. Either way, any woman being called something other than their name, being called Ms. some or other man’s name is — it’s offensive,” Phillips said. “He probably at this point ought to apologize to her.”

King slammed Nadler’s excuse of being “preoccupied,” noting that Hicks is a star witness and that Nadler, the chairman of the committee, ought to have been prepared for the deposition. Watch the discussion below:

The “do-over” is a joke

The Democrats want everyone to believe that their continued investigations of Donald Trump are serious, good faith efforts to hold the president “accountable.” But do they even believe it themselves? They certainly don’t act like it.

Hicks was one of Trump’s closest and longest-serving advisers when she resigned. The Democrats had hours to press a key witness with burning questions about Mueller report marginalia. They did so, while embarrassing their party and exposing their “investigation” to be political theater.

Hicks followed instructions from the White House in declining to answer more than 150 questions about her time in the West Wing, but it’s not as if obtaining new information was the Democrats’ purpose. They can act frustrated all they want; their deposition of Hicks was just another partisan circus act to keep the dead collusion hoax alive past its expiration date. Like with Nadler’s hearings on the Mueller report, which started off with “testimony” from Watergate witness John Dean, the Democrats’ purpose is to keep up an appearance of impropriety by Trump while they figure out what to do with themselves.

So sad that the Democrats are putting wonderful Hope Hicks through hell, for 3 years now, after total exoneration by Robert Mueller & the Mueller Report. They were unhappy with result so they want a Do Over. Very unfair & costly to her. Will it ever end? Why aren’t they…….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2019

In their desperate attempt to get Trump for collusion that never happened, the Democrats are wasting everyone’s time and abusing witnesses who have already cooperated extensively with Mueller’s investigation. Is this what the Democrats mean by their much vaunted “constitutional oversight?” What a joke. Hicks is owed an apology.