Would you end a criminal trial after the discovery phase?
As you've pointed out, this is not a trial.
What evidence has been presented thus far that warrants continued investigation? And, the investigation phase is over if we're moving on to the judiciary committee. The investigation was Schiff's big time deal.
Let me summarize the investigation so far:
- Trump begins withholding aid to Ukraine in February of 2019, when it was due to be released.
- A whistleblower said he heard other people say Trump might have done something that the whistleblower disagreed with. The basic claim is that Trump, withholding the aid in February, might have implied in July's phone call that the release of the aid was contingent upon Ukraine initiating an investigation into corruption by the former vice president of the United States, Joe Biden. Joe Biden announced his candidacy in April of 2019. April is, of course, two months after February, when Trump began withholding the aid. The Whistleblower apparently believes Trump to be clairvoyant, knowing Biden would enter the race.
- Witnesses were called and a full transcript of the phone call the whistleblower heard other people talking about was released. Nothing inappropriate was in the transcript.
- Witnesses testified that they had opinions, presumpti8ons, and rumors of Trump doing something wrong. Not a single witness was able to testify that Trump actually did anything wrong, just that they presumed it or heard about other people presuming it. No one contradicted the released transcript, nor had any first hand knowledge of Trump doing anything that tied the aid to Ukraine to any conditions.
- The alleged victim of the leverage alleged to be used by the president to start the investigation reports - repeatedly - that he never thought there was any tie between the aid and request to investigate the Bidens' corruption, that he never in any way felt any pressure by the president, and subsequently never announced an investigation as the president of the United States requested he do.
- The aid is released. The singular thing the OMB understands the delay in the aid to be is tied directly to an on-going policy action by the president to force neighboring European countries to help Ukraine, as those neighboring countries have more to gain by doing so than the United States, more to lose if Ukraine falls to Russia.
Given these facts, what is there to continue to investigate? What is it you believe will be found? Why do you believe it will be found?