The first thing the liberal broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) did when they began their Wednesday evening newscasts, was lionize the so-called “constitutional scholars” handpicked by the Democrats to trumpet impeachment as even and unbiased professionals. In reality, they were far from it, with most giving money to Democratic campaigns and palling around in radical liberal circles.
Shortly before 4:00 p.m. Eastern in the hearing, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL) exposed just who the Democrats selected. “You gave money to Barack Obama, right?” he asked of University of North Carolina School of Law Professor Michael Gerhardt. The Professor answered in the affirmative to donating to the former President four times.
Gaetz then turned his sights on Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman and pointed out how he had a radically broad definition of what classified as impeachable, which included President Trump exercising his First Amendment right to criticize the press (click “expand”):
Mr. Feldman wrote articles entitled, “Trump's wiretap tweets raise risk of impeachment.” He then wrote, “Mar-a-Lago ad belongs in impeachment file. And then Mr. Jake Flannigan wrote in courts, “a Harvard Law professor thinks Trump could be impeached over fake news accusations. My question professor Feldman is since you seem to believe that the basis for impeachment is even broader than the basis that my Democratic colleagues have laid forward, do you believe you're outside of the political mainstream on the question of impeachment?
Next up was Stanford University Law School Professor Pamela Karlan, who lashed out at 13-year old Barron Trump. Gaetz exposed that she had given “a thousand bucks to Elizabeth Warren,” and “1,200 buck to Barack Obama,” and “2,000 bucks to Hillary Clinton.” She also spent some time on far-left podcasts.
Clearly, these so-called “constitutional scholars” were just partisan actors with a documented history of animus against President Trump and Republicans. But that didn’t stop ABC, CBS, and NBC from singing their praises.
“Three constitutional scholars told lawmakers today they believe there is enough evidence to impeach the President for abusing his power and risking national security for his own benefit,” proclaimed anchor Norah O’Donnell at the top of the CBS Evening News. “It was a historic day. Only the fourth time in U.S. history that an attempt to impeach a President has gotten this far in Congress.”
CBS chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes also got in on the praise, saying: “The legal experts chosen by Democrats said the President's efforts to pressure Ukraine merit at least three articles of impeachment: abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and bribery.”
“Right out of the gate, three out of the four scholars, the ones chosen by Democrats, testified that the president should be impeached,” boasted ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran on World News Tonight.
ABC anchor David Muir touted: “The witnesses, constitutional law scholars, who were asked, was President Trump's conduct on Ukraine impeachable? Three witnesses telling the committee, yes, arguing the President abused his power for his own personal political gain.”
Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt was more than happy to announce:
President Trump returning from the U.K. tonight, leaving one humiliation behind, only to face another here at home...And as he was in the air, back on Capitol Hill, a trio of legal scholars were telling Democrats exactly what they wanted to hear: that the President had indeed committed impeachable offenses.
Holt didn’t bat an eye when seeming to inadvertently acknowledge their bias.
NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander even touted how “House Democrats [were] leaning on history to make their case for impeaching President Trump...Inviting a panel of constitutional scholars to bolster their investigation.”
On top of that, CBS hid from their viewers how Karlan lashed out at President Trump’s 13-year old son. For Moran’s part in that, he suggested she was just being witty.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
December 4, 2019
6:31:54 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: Good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a Wednesday night. And we begin tonight with the historic next step in the impeachment inquiry, and a very combative one that played out today on Capitol Hill.
The heated proceedings in front of the House Judiciary Committee. The witnesses, constitutional law scholars, who were asked, was President Trump's conduct on Ukraine impeachable? Three witnesses telling the committee, yes, arguing the President abused his power for his own personal political gain.
The Republican witness saying the Democrats don't have the evidence and that this is being rushed. And tonight, the unexpected moment when one of the witnesses brought up to President's youngest son to make a point. It was not well-received by many. And tonight, she's apologizing.
President Trump, meanwhile, flying back to Washington tonight and lashing out. This evening, what we've learned. The President's team already looking ahead to what they want in a Senate trial. Terry Moran leads us off from the hill tonight.
[Cuts to video]
TERRY MORAN: It was a highly partisan and dramatic day. The first high stakes hearing in the Judiciary Committee featuring constitutional scholars.
(…)
MORAN: Right out of the gate, three out of the four scholars, the ones chosen by Democrats, testified that the president should be impeached.
(…)
MORAN: Stanford Law professor Pamela Karlan said the President's alleged actions, withholding nearly $400 million in U.S. aid approved by Congress, simply for personal political gain, has never happened before.
(…)
MORAN: Karlan said, over the Thanksgiving holiday, she read every witness transcript and she pointed out what she found most troubling.
(…)
MORAN: But law professor Jonathan Turley, called by Republicans, said he did not vote for Trump, but he is still troubled by the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, in an agitated time in our country.
(…)
MORAN: He said Democrats don't have the evidence they need.
(…)
MORAN: And back in that hearing room, Republicans were furious when one of those law professors argued that the Constitution does not make Trump a king. Driving the point home with a quip about the President's son.
KARLAN: So, while the president can name his son Barron, he can't make him a baron.
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): When you invoke the President's son's name here, when you try to make a little joke out of referencing Barron Trump, that does not lend credibility to your argument. It makes you look mean. It makes you look like you're attacking somebody's family, the minor child of the President of the United States.
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: So, after that moment today, let's get right to Terry Moran tonight. He’s live on the hill. And Terry, first, the apology just in tonight from that law scholar who brought up the President’s youngest son?
MORAN: That's right, Stanford Law professor Pamela Karlan, at the end of the hearing, said this: "I want to apologize for what I said earlier about the President's son. It was wrong of me to do that. I wish the President would apologize, obviously, for the things that he's done that are wrong. But I do regret having said that."
(…)
CBS Evening News
December 4, 2019
6:31:50 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Good evening, and thank you so much for joining us tonight. Three constitutional scholars told lawmakers today they believe there is enough evidence to impeach the President for abusing his power and risking national security for his own benefit. But another said the case is thin and that if Congress moves forward it would risk abusing its power.
It was a historic day. Only the fourth time in U.S. history that an attempt to impeach a President has gotten this far in Congress. Nancy Cordes is outside the hearing room on Capitol Hill tonight, and Nancy, it felt like a crash course in the constitution.
NANCY CORDES: It was, Norah, and in a sign of how quickly things are now moving, the Democrats on that committee, the House Judiciary Committee, have been asked to stay in town this weekend. They may want to draft articles of impeachment by next week. Their case bolstered today by that trio of constitutional scholars.
[Cuts to video]
(…)
CORDES: The legal experts chosen by Democrats said the President's efforts to pressure Ukraine merit at least three articles of impeachment: abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and bribery.
(…)
CORDES: Republicans relied on their invited witness, CBS News legal analyst Jonathan Turley.
PROF. JONATHAN TURLEY: The statement has been made this is a clear case of bribery. It's not.
REP. JOHN RATCLIFFE (R-TX): So if I were to summarize your testimony, no bribery, no extortion, no obstruction of justice, no abuse of power, is that fair?
TURLEY: Not on this record.
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
CORDES: Senate leaders now so convinced that the President will be impeached by the House this month that when they released their 2020 schedule today, Norah, it was missing the month of January, because they assume that that month will be consumed by a Senate trial.
O’DONNELL: Well, there you go. Nancy, thank you.
NBC Nightly News
December 4, 2019
7:01:39 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Good evening. President Trump returning from the U.K. tonight, leaving one humiliation behind, only to face another here at home. Before leaving the NATO meetings in London the President was mocked by other world leaders in a hot mic moment caught on camera.
(…)
And as he was in the air, back on Capitol Hill, a trio of legal scholars were telling Democrats exactly what they wanted to hear: that the President had indeed committed impeachable offences. And that’s where we start with NBC’s Peter Alexander.
[Cuts to video]
PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight, House Democrats leaning on history to make their case for impeaching President Trump.
(…)
ALEXANDER: Inviting a panel of constitutional scholars to bolster their investigation.
(…)
ALEXANDER: The Republican’s lone witness dismissing the Democrats case as wafer thin.
(…)
ALEXANDER: The tone not always scholarly. Professor Pamela Karlan taking offense to the Republican's assertion the experts have not done their homework.
PROF. PAMELA KARLAN: I would like to say to you, sir, that I read transcripts of every one of the witnesses. [Transition] I'm insulted by the suggestion that as a law professor I don't care about those facts.
ALEXANDER: Later, Karlan drawing criticism for invoking President Trump's 13-year-old son to make her point that a president is not a king.
KARLAN: The constitution says there can be no titles of nobility. So, while the President can name his son Barron, he can't make him a baron.
ALEXANDER: The First Lady tweeting: “Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed.” Karlan later apologizing.
KARLAN: I want to apologize for what I said earlier about the President's son. It was wrong of me to do that.
ALEXANDER: All of coming as Rudy Giuliani, the President’s personal lawyer, already under scrutiny for his role in the pressure campaign on Ukraine, is back in Eastern Europe.
(…)
