U.S. House Republicans cannot defend the president’s shake-down of Ukraine, so they rushed the doors of a secure Capitol meeting room this week to disrupt the impeachment inquiry. Wednesday’s scene would have shamed even the Delta frat boys at Faber College. It’s no surprise the crew included two Florida Republicans who are hardly sterling examples of ethical conduct.

About two dozen Republican members chanting “Let us in!” pushed past the Capitol police and entered a secure meeting room where House committees were holding a closed-door deposition in the impeachment inquiry. The stunt was part of an increasingly desperate response by Republicans to damaging testimony in recent days painting a clearer picture of a president abusing his office.

Let’s repeat for the record: Republicans are in these closed-door proceedings. They serve on the committees involved, and they have the opportunity to question witnesses. The process at this early stage of the investigation is in line with previous impeachment proceedings and the Republicans’ inquiry into the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, during the Obama administration.

Doesn’t Rep. Matt Gaetz have better things to do? The Panhandle Republican should be atoning for the nasty tweet he sent to discredit Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. While the Florida Bar found no basis that Gaetz violated its rules, “The grievance committee believes your original tweet was unprofessional, reckless, insensitive, and demonstrated poor judgment.”

Rep. Ross Spano of Dover capitalized on joining the circus by issuing a press release: “Spano Demands Transparency in Impeachment Inquiry.” This is the same Ross Spano whose campaign financing for his 2018 race is under review by the House Ethics Committee.

Senseless stunts and hypocrisy work for only so long.

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