Swalwell on pace of impeachment: ‘There’s an urgency to make sure the election and the ballot box have integrity’

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Sunday defended the pace of the House’s impeachment inquiry amid court battles over witness testimony, saying speed was necessary with the 2020 Democratic primaries looming.

“Most importantly the president invoked an upcoming election – there’s an urgency to make sure the election and the ballot box have integrity, and if he’s asking a foreign government to interfere, we are on the clock to make sure that election is protected,” Swalwell told anchor Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”

{mosads}“This court process is a 9-to-12 month process, we could lose everything we value in our democracy waiting on the courts,” Swalwell added, saying that witnesses who have testified before the committee have already presented damning evidence against Trump.

Wallace countered that no one had testified thus far who could be compared to Watergate witnesses such as White House Counsel John Dean and White House Domestic Affairs Advisor John Ehrlichman in terms of first-hand knowledge.

“We don’t have as many courageous men in the White House but we do have a lot of the president’s appointees who have come forward,” Swalwell responded.

House Democrats earlier this month dropped an effort to compel former national security adviser John Bolton to testify, with an official saying they had “no interest in allowing the Administration to play rope-a-dope with us in the courts for months.” A former aide to Bolton, Charles Kupperman, has asked the courts to determine whether he must comply with a congressional subpoena or listen to a White House directive to not testify.

Wallace also questioned Swalwell on polling indicating public support for impeachment has declined after showing a majority in favor in October.

“I’m not focused on the polls, I know my colleagues aren’t either… this president used his great vast power to ask a foreign government to help him cheat an election,” Swalwell responded.