Good grief, it was always inferred that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff had assembled a ‘star chamber’ proceeding in the HPSCI basement, but after actually reading the transcript of former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch to Schiff’s assembly the bloom is officially off the ruse.
Start by remembering: after the 2018 mid-terms, in preparation for the “impeachment” strategy, HPSCI Chairman Adam Schiff and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler hired Lawfare group members to become House committee staff.
Chairman Schiff hired former SDNY U.S. Attorney Daniel Goldman (link), and Chairman Nadler hired  Obama Administration lawyer Norm Eisen and criminal defense attorney Barry Berke (link).  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then hired Douglas Letter as House General Counsel – all are within the Lawfare network.
Why is that important?  Because hired Lawfare contractor Daniel Goldman was the inquisitor for the “deposition” of Ms. Yovanovitch.  There are no Democrat politicians present other than Chairman Adam Schiff; it’s all staff. This deposition is a political ruse.
Not only was her appearance carefully orchestrated with Chairman Schiff’s staff, but Ms. Yovanovitch brought three lawyers with her to help construct the needs of the committee and protect Yovanovitch’s legal interests.  [Transcript pdf available here]

We can only imagine who actually paid for lawyers Lawrence Robbins, Laurie Rubenstein and Rachel Li Wai Suen at the rate of $1,500/hr, per lawyer, ($4,500/hr).
I honestly don’t think Chairman Adam Schiff anticipates anyone actually reading these transcripts; particularly this one.

By design the State Department, nor any official or representative therein, was not allowed to attend the ‘deposition’ to monitor the interests or “equities” of the executive branch.
This might strike readers as a little curious who remember the DOJ and FBI witness interviews of current and former FBI and DOJ staff, where FBI and DOJ lawyers attended testimony and stopped witnesses from answering any question they decided were adverse to the interests of the institutions.
How is it that House hearing rules in 2017 and 2018 did not forbid executive branch FBI and DOJ lawyers, but yet House hearing rules in 2019 block the executive branch?
A curious shift in priority.
Additionally, prior to her appearance before the HPSCI “committee” (staff, lawyers and not politicians) to give her “deposition”, Ms. Yovanovitch, working with committee staff for maximum impact, gave her opening statement to the Washington Post so they could coordinate the media narrative surrounding her appearance.   That little surface fact essentially encapsulates the entire purpose for Yovanovitch’s appearance.   This is all a constructed political pantomime.
The back-and-forth where Yovanovitch’s lawyers would not allow her to admit to working with Washington Post journalists, under the precept of that communication being coordinated through her lawyers and thus would be attorney-client privilege, is a case study in obtuse legalese.
The end result was Yovanovitch did not admit to working with the Washington Post, while it is clearly evident she was working with the Washington Post and the staff of Adam Schiff’s committee…. hence, her need for three lawyers.
You can read the full transcript HERE:  It is pure propaganda.

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