Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the number two Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the past two weeks of testimony in the House’s impeachment inquiry have done nothing to chill Democratic enthusiasm for the effort.
“I don’t think any Democrat in the Congress looked at what happened the last two weeks and said ‘gosh, there’s nothing there,’” Himes said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday.
{mosads}Himes also pushed back against claims by the previous guest on the show, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, saying “I’m pretty sure that every single one of her assertions was inaccurate.”
“Kellyanne Conway may quibble about what [Ambassador to the European Union Gordon] Sondland said, [but] the chief of staff said there was a quid pro quo, get over it,” Himes added, referencing acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
“One thing is true: every single day and every single piece of testimony brought up new information,” Himes added.
Going forward, Himes said the House would likely seek to hear from Florida businessman and Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who was arrested earlier this year on campaign finance fraud charges, saying he “think[s] Lev Parnas can shed some light” on the Ukraine issue.
Asked about allegations that Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) met with former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Victor Shokin last December, Himes declined to speculate but said “if you watch Devin Nunes for five minutes, you know he’s given over entirely to the defense of the president and to the propagation of fantastical conspiracy theories.”