Fox News anchor Chris Wallace pressed Democratic New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on declining public support for impeachment despite the House’s public hearings.
“There’s been an awful lot about investigating, impeaching, and removing the president since he took the oath of office,” Wallace told Jeffries during the congressman’s “Fox News Sunday” appearance.
“We’re here at this moment right now because the president decided to pressure a foreign government to target an American citizen for political gain and at the same time withhold $391 million in military aid from a very vulnerable Ukraine, which is an ally to the United States and is still at war with Russia-backed separatists in Crimea,” Jeffries said after pointing out the House’s responsibility to serve as a “check and balance” on the executive branch.
But Wallace continued to press, pointing out that the needle hasn’t moved in their direction since the public hearings concluded.
“But congressman, Democrats have been making that case, you’ve been making your best case to the public for two months now,” said the Fox News anchor. “You just finished 30 hours of televised hearings, 12 witnesses, and the public apparently isn’t buying it at this point.” (RELATED: Chris Wallace Puts Eric Swalwell On The Spot On Impeachment: ‘How Can You Be Considered An Impartial Fact-Finder?’)
Wallace pointed to recent polling on impeachment that showed declining public support after the televised hearings.
“You could argue that [polls] are within the margin of error, but it’s clear that there is none of the bipartisan support that Speaker Pelosi said for months was essential to impeachment,” he told Jeffries.
The Democratic lawmaker pointed to polling that showed 50 percent supporting impeachment and another poll showing that 70 percent felt the president “did something wrong.”
“Our job is to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the U.S. Constitution and present the truth to the American people no matter where it leads because no one is above the law,” said Jeffries. “That’s what we have been doing, that’s what we are doing, that’s what we’re going to continue to do moving forward.”