Trumper Scott Jennings slams Devin Nunes for 'being caught totally flat-footed'

It's clear the morning testimony didn't go as well as Republicans had wanted. The concern was evident on the face of House Minority Leader Devin Nunes (R-CA), who exchanged glances with the GOP counsel.

Republican Scott Jennings is quick to defend the White House and the GOP, but Wednesday even he was forced to concede his party wasn't prepared for what EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified.

CNN host John King noted that the Republican counsel brought up Rudy Giuliani and his business relationships in Ukraine, outside of his work for President Donald Trump.

"Watch that for the beginning of an effort to say, 'This was Rudy Giuliani not the president,'" King predicted.

Jennings agreed, saying, "there's nowhere else to go" with the president's defense.

"I mean, Sondland is dropping him in. The president clearly won't want to take responsibility for it," Jennings continued. "Rudy's not coming to the committee as I understand so he's not going to show up and refute it."

After the huge panel began talking over themselves, Jennings cut in again, saying the Republicans need "something here."

"Obviously Sondland has come in -- Nunes, by the way, was caught, totally flat-footed by his opening statement," Jennings said.

CNN host Jake Tapper said that it was clear Nunes thought Sondland was there to help the GOP. Clearly, that did not turn out to be the case.

"They were caught flat-footed this morning," Jennings agreed. "They need to have something now. And the only possible way to do this -- do what they should have done a month ago; and that's to say, 'Having Giuliani in the middle of this at the beginning was galactically bad judgment and a dumb idea. That's not impeachable.'"

Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Laura Coates explained that even with Giuliani as the fall-guy, there is no way to refute that the president abused the power of his office.

Watch the full clip below: