Sen. John Kennedy: There's no due process in impeachment resolution vote
Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy says Democrats are "play-acting" with the House vote on an impeachment resolution.
As House Democrats gear up to debate and vote on the resolution formalizing the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, Republicans like Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., say it's a rigged process.
The vote, which takes place Thursday morning, is used to codify the investigation.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., is set to manage the measure for the Democrats on the floor, with Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Rules Committee, running things for the GOP.
HOUSE TO VOTE ON RESOLUTION FORMALIZING IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY -- LIVE BLOG
Appearing on "America's Newsroom" with host Bill Hemmer Thursday, Kennedy said that the inquiry and vote is just a "lot of play-acting."
Kennedy said he believes that because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "Plan A" didn't work, she's moving to "Plan B."
"We all believe in due process [and] the rule of law. So, my personal opinion is it's like putting fresh paint on rotten wood. I think everybody knows how it's going to come out," he said.
The senator said he believes that "this whole freak show" was "pre-ordained as soon as the Mueller report came out."
He told Hemmer that the "entrenched politicians here on both sides of the aisle, members of the media, the academics, corporate phonies" just "knew that Bob Mueller was going to get rid of the president" and were "shocked" when he "called it like he saw it.
"Is there anybody in the Milky Way who really thinks that Speaker Pelosi or Chairman Schiff are impartial?" he asked, rhetorically. "I don't. I think they made up their mind[s]. Their judicial philosophy on this has been guilty."
Kennedy noted to Hemmer, "You have to ask, a vote for what?"
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"The minority can now call witnesses, but only with Chairman Schiff's and Speaker Pelosi's consent. That's not due process," he asserted. "You can't challenge the evidence if your opponent gets to approve the introduction of the evidence first."
Kennedy said this outcome was "predictable" to him, but that he thought Pelosi was "a better tactician than to try to ram through an impeachment simply because she doesn't like the president's policies."
"This is all going to come down to one issue: why did the president ask for the investigation?" he theorized about Trump's call to the Ukrainian president about a probe of the Biden family.
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.