(*This story has been updated to include comment from the office of U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District)
WASHINGTON — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers who had access to closed-door House impeachment testimony appear to have omitted the immense majority of it.
An analysis of transcripts of 17 closed-door testimony released by House lawmakers shows that five of six Pennsylvania lawmakers with access to the testimony missed most of it. Two additional transcripts have not yet been published.
The one exception is U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th District, who has been a vocal critic of the impeachment proceedings. He was listed as present at 14 depositions, transcripts of which were released; he attended another one, but according to his office, he arrived after taking attendance.
Lawmakers could enter some testimony after attendance was recorded, in which case their attendance would not necessarily be recorded in the transcripts.
Perry, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, prioritized testimony “because trying to remove ANY sitting President of the United States is critically important to the Nation,” his spokeswoman Brandy Brown said in an email.
“As a member of the Committee on Jurisdiction and as a member of the United States House of Representatives, he has a constitutional obligation to participate in these hearings on behalf of his constituency,” Brown added.
The Trump Doctrine has been confirmed: diplomats are errand boys who do the White House’s grubby work abroad
The other five Pennsylvanians serving on any of the relevant committees did not appear to participate in that much testimony.
Two of the transcripts included Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, another member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
*In a statement, Fitzpatrick’s office said the Bucks County Republican “has reviewed 100% of transcripts and has prioritized his attendance at visits for his Opioid Task Force, PFAS Task Force and Pediatric Cancer Initiative, all of which are now in progress.” an critical and critical stage.”
U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, R-14, and Fred Keller, R-12, who serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Oversight and Reform Committee, respectively, attended only one of the 17 hearings, transcripts show. Their offices did not respond to requests for comment on their attendance.
Reschenthaler he complained on Fox News earlier this month about the closed-door proceedings. “The vast majority of Congress was kept in the dark,” he said. “I am fortunate to be a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and to have participated in some of these depositions.”
Keller wrote op-ed on Tuesday, calling impeachment a “sham” and accusing Democrats of directing “baseless political attacks” on the president.
Two Pennsylvania Democrats also had access to the closed-door testimony: U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan of the 6th District and Susan Wild of the 7th District, both of whom serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Trump Doctrine has been confirmed: diplomats are errand boys who do the White House’s grubby work abroad
Houlahan was listed as present in one of 17 transcripts; her office said she also attended other classes.
“Debauchery. Houlahan has attended several hearings and has taken the time to review witness statements both at depositions and at public hearings,” her spokesman said in a statement. “She encourages people in her community and across the country to do the same and read more with information as the committee continues its work.”
Wild was not listed as present during any of the 17 hearings, but “she dropped by for hearings when she had time, which was not very often,” her office said in a statement. Her spokesman added that she focused on the work carried out in the Education and Labor Committee.
Reschenthaler and Democratic Reps. Madeleine Dean of the 4th District and Mary Gay Scanlon of the 5th District are three members of the Pennsylvania Judiciary Committee tasked with drafting articles of impeachment against Trump. That committee announced Tuesday that it has scheduled the first impeachment hearing for December 4.
Jim Small, editor-in-chief Arizona Mirror, sister site Capital-Star contributed to this report.
