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.
Hormuz choke point persists as Iran halts oil traffic despite Trump ceasefire
DoorDash data offers snapshot of economy voters are feeling ahead of midterms
Putin issues a decree calling for a ceasefire in fighting for Orthodox Easter holiday
Artemis II nears end of historic mission with splashdown off California coast
Trump blasts Biden admin for releasing illegal immigrant now charged in fatal hammer attack on Florida mother
Iran peace talks give JD Vance an opening in 2028 race
Mahmoud Khalil loses appeal to dismiss deportation case
Coast Guard seizes over 4,500 pounds of cocaine worth $34M from suspected narco-terrorist vessel on Easter
ICE says more criminal migrants arrested on 1-year anniversary of program to support victims of migrant crime
Supreme Court blocks candidate after alleged GOP infiltration scheme exposed
Child among 4 dead as accused arsonist allegedly drank beer during chaos
Neighbor fatally shoots alleged gunman after 2 women shot in domestic dispute
Melania Trump’s forceful Epstein denial draws bipartisan support from lawmakers
Fellow Democrats Are Now Calling Out Eric Swalwell Over ‘Very Troubling’ Accusations
Michael Moore Defends Iran, Slams US for Bombing Japan in WWII in Deranged Rant: ‘We’re the Bad Guys!’
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.
Hormuz choke point persists as Iran halts oil traffic despite Trump ceasefire
DoorDash data offers snapshot of economy voters are feeling ahead of midterms
Putin issues a decree calling for a ceasefire in fighting for Orthodox Easter holiday
Artemis II nears end of historic mission with splashdown off California coast
Trump blasts Biden admin for releasing illegal immigrant now charged in fatal hammer attack on Florida mother
Iran peace talks give JD Vance an opening in 2028 race
Mahmoud Khalil loses appeal to dismiss deportation case
Coast Guard seizes over 4,500 pounds of cocaine worth $34M from suspected narco-terrorist vessel on Easter
ICE says more criminal migrants arrested on 1-year anniversary of program to support victims of migrant crime
Supreme Court blocks candidate after alleged GOP infiltration scheme exposed
Child among 4 dead as accused arsonist allegedly drank beer during chaos
Neighbor fatally shoots alleged gunman after 2 women shot in domestic dispute
Melania Trump’s forceful Epstein denial draws bipartisan support from lawmakers
Fellow Democrats Are Now Calling Out Eric Swalwell Over ‘Very Troubling’ Accusations
Michael Moore Defends Iran, Slams US for Bombing Japan in WWII in Deranged Rant: ‘We’re the Bad Guys!’
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.
