Ex-White House adviser blasts GOP's impeachment ploy: 'To have a trial which doesn't turn on facts is bizarre'

On CNN Monday, former presidential adviser David Gergen excoriated Senate Republicans for attempting to disavow any responsibility to uncover facts at the upcoming impeachment trial.

"For Democrats, 'fair trial' equates to more witnesses, it equates to evidence," said anchor Erica Hill. "You've heard Republicans say the trial is not a fact-finding operation. They are going to render judgment on a case that was passed on to them from the House. What do you make of that?"

"Well, I think we've gotten into such a mess it's hard to get this all untangled, isn't it?" said Gergen. "For the Democrats, I think with these documents, two things become apparent. One is, here's a single memo that has been held back and came through a different channel, it became public. It's a story. It's a piece of the puzzle we didn't have. What the document and story is all about is what's missing from the case. The things that the Democrats couldn't get because of the stonewall. The documents they couldn't get. The witnesses they couldn't get."

"I think it strengthens their case that this is not entirely on the up-and-up in terms of how the Republicans are playing hardball," said Gergen. "I think that's pretty important. The second thing is the facts are important, and to have a trial which doesn't turn on facts is bizarre."

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