IMPEACHMENT TRANSCRIPTS!
When the House passed a resolution formalizing the framework and procedures of the impeachment process against Donald Trump, it didn’t lay out a specific timetable for each next step. That’s not surprising when you consider that closed-door testimony is still being lined up, with some of the most important witnessed (John Bolton for example) not having yet testified.
We’re surely still a few weeks away from public impeachment hearings. But it turns out we won’t have to wait nearly that long to see the transcripts of the testimony that’s already been given behind closed doors. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff appeared on the Rachel Maddow show on Thursday night and revealed that he plans to start releasing the transcripts as soon as “next week.” So where does this get us?
In order for each transcript to get the proper attention it deserves, we expect Schiff will release them one at a time. For that matter, not all of them can necessarily be released quite yet. For instance, if Colonel Vindman has already testified about the same meeting that John Bolton is going to be testifying about, then we might not see the Vindman transcript released until after Bolton has testified.
But the bottom line is that within the next week, the first impeachment testimony transcript will be publicly released. The first transcript out the door will arguably get the most attention, so we suspect Schiff will choose to start by releasing something particularly damning. Bill Taylor comes to mind. We’ll find out soon.
