Impeachment Hearings Open with a Thud [OPINION]

The House Intelligence Committee's long-anticipated impeachment hearings opened with a resounding thud yesterday. You might have expected the hearings to open with a flourish of new information, allegations, breaking news. Turns out, the only news is that there is no news.

The Democrats have been planning these impeachment hearings for three years and this was their best shot? YIKES! They needed to make a big impression on Day 1 to hold people's attention and make them believe that the President of the United States must be immediately removed from office. They fell far short and their case never even made it out of the gate. You get one shot to make an impression. They blew it.

The highlights of Day 1 featured the "star witness," diplomat Bill Taylor, admitting that everything he testified to was hearsay that he cannot even confirm as true. The State Department's George Kent was forced to admit that President Trump was completely warranted in seeking an investigation of corruption potentially involving the Bidens. He too could not vouch for the accuracy of the hearsay evidence he offered up to the committee. Neither man has even met or interacted with Trump.

In addition to all of that, the committee chair Adam Schiff evoked chuckles by denying he knows the identity of the whistleblower and sought to change the rules once the Republicans began grilling his witnesses.

You go big or you go home. If this was the best Adam Schiff and his band of merry men (and women) could muster for Day 1 of their hearings, their case for removing Trump from office is in serious trouble.

There will most likely be a vote to impeach Trump since Democrats control the House, and the Republican-controlled Senate will conduct a trial, which it is required to do under the law. Trump will not be removed from office, and in fact, will be re-elected next year in a landslide. And we will have wasted all of this time and precious gold for naught.

Ah, yes. Politics.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.