International News Opinons Politics

First Public Impeachment Hearing Flops

Wednesday’s highly anticipated public impeachment hearing amounted to a ratings flop, with only 13 million viewers tuning in, according to reports.

The hearing, which featured Bill Taylor, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, a senior State Department official, was teased as a “bombshell, given House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) allocating Democrats more time to dominate and minimize GOP voices in the first hour. Nonetheless, Democrats failed to live up to the hype, as reflected in viewership.

According to Axios, Wednesday’s lackluster impeachment hearing drew just 13 million viewers. The number pales in comparison to those who viewed former FBI Director James Comey’s June 2017 testimony and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s September 2018 hearing, which saw 19.5 million viewers and 20 million viewers, respectively.


Of the cable news networks, Fox News led the pack with 2.9 million viewers between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST, followed by MSNBC with 2.7 million, per Axios. CNN fell over one million viewers behind Fox News, attracting 1.8 million viewers. ABC edged out CBS, but both drew around two million viewers, followed by NBC with 1.7 viewers.


RFK Jr. responds to snake-handling critics with new video showing him wrangling a venomous rattlesnake
Nebraska K9 sniffs out 525 pounds of cocaine during routine traffic stop, leading to California man’s arrest
EXCLUSIVE: Veterans turn war stories into music at Trump Kennedy Center in powerful patriotic showcase
Trump Debuts Brutal Cartoon Nickname for James Talarico to Kick Off Texas Senate General Election
Peak Woke: Rape Can’t Be Committed by Blacks, Muslims, or Women, According to Neo-Marxist Insanity
Conservatives erupt after DNC lashes out at top White House official with vulgar personal attack
US military carries out new strikes against Iranian military base as negotiations continue
NEW VIDEO: RFK Jr. Just One-Upped Himself, This Time Capturing a Deadly Rattlesnake with Nothing but a Tiny Net and a Bucket
Pete Hegseth Reveals Trump’s Quiet Order to Protect the Most Vulnerable Christians
Your Christian Family Is Being Hunted Like Animals and Exterminated in Nigeria – Will You Ignore It?
Trump says Delaney Hall protesters are ‘paid’ as clashes escalate outside NJ ICE facility
Talarico makes stunning claim about why he thinks Texas elections aren’t ‘free and fair’
Watch: Fox Host Responds with Open Disgust as Anti-ICE Antagonist Attacks a Reporter for Daring to Video Their Behavior
Seattle socialist mayor mocked for ‘irony’ as residents build walls to stop out of control shootings
Fox News Poll: Faith in higher education in the US is collapsing

See also  Israel kills top Hamas military chief in airstrike

The numbers, however, do not reflect those who watched the debate on alternative platforms, as Axios noted.

The impeachment hearing left many Democrats feeling, privately, deflated. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) masterfully made a mockery of Schiff’s “star witness” by demonstrating Taylor’s stunning lack of knowledge:

The hearing forced impeachment-driven Democrats and establishment media outlets to tweak the narrative to focus on what they now claim is President Trump’s “attempted” crimes – bribery and extortion – despite a lack of basis for either accusation.

This exchange between Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Wednesday’s witnesses laid out the new narrative:

“So ambassadors, is attempted murder a crime?” he asked, repeating his question. “Is attempted murder a crime?”

“Attempted murder is a crime,” Taylor said.

“Is attempted robbery a crime?” he asked.

“Neither of us is a lawyer,” Taylor began before Castro interrupted.

“I think anyone in this room could answer that question,” he said.

“I’ll go out on a limb and say yes it is,” Taylor said.

“Is attempted extortion and bribery a crime?” Castro asked, trying to draw a parallel.

“I don’t know sir,” Taylor said.


RFK Jr. responds to snake-handling critics with new video showing him wrangling a venomous rattlesnake
Nebraska K9 sniffs out 525 pounds of cocaine during routine traffic stop, leading to California man’s arrest
EXCLUSIVE: Veterans turn war stories into music at Trump Kennedy Center in powerful patriotic showcase
Trump Debuts Brutal Cartoon Nickname for James Talarico to Kick Off Texas Senate General Election
Peak Woke: Rape Can’t Be Committed by Blacks, Muslims, or Women, According to Neo-Marxist Insanity
Conservatives erupt after DNC lashes out at top White House official with vulgar personal attack
US military carries out new strikes against Iranian military base as negotiations continue
NEW VIDEO: RFK Jr. Just One-Upped Himself, This Time Capturing a Deadly Rattlesnake with Nothing but a Tiny Net and a Bucket
Pete Hegseth Reveals Trump’s Quiet Order to Protect the Most Vulnerable Christians
Your Christian Family Is Being Hunted Like Animals and Exterminated in Nigeria – Will You Ignore It?
Trump says Delaney Hall protesters are ‘paid’ as clashes escalate outside NJ ICE facility
Talarico makes stunning claim about why he thinks Texas elections aren’t ‘free and fair’
Watch: Fox Host Responds with Open Disgust as Anti-ICE Antagonist Attacks a Reporter for Daring to Video Their Behavior
Seattle socialist mayor mocked for ‘irony’ as residents build walls to stop out of control shootings
Fox News Poll: Faith in higher education in the US is collapsing

The second round of public impeachment hearings, featuring former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, will air Friday at 9:00 a.m. EST.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter