U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks during a rally hosted by FreedomWorks September 26, 2018 at the West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, DC.

More than two dozen House Republicans, led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, delayed a deposition hearing in the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump's conduct regarding Ukraine.

Gaetz and the group marched into the secure facility at Capitol Hill, where House Democrats were scheduled to interview Pentagon official Laura Cooper, a witness in the probe. Cooper helps oversee U.S. policy regarding Ukraine at the Defense Department. Lawmakers had expected to ask her about the Trump administration's decision to withhold military aid from the former Soviet nation.

Cooper's testimony began Wednesday afternoon following a delay of about five hours, according to an NBC News reporter.

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The Republican protesters decried the impeachment process as a "sham" and lambasted House Democrats for conducting the process behind closed doors. Only members of the committees conducting the hearing were allowed in the room.

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"Behind those doors they intend to overturn the results of an American presidential election. We want to know what's going on," Gaetz said at a news conference shortly before entering the hearing.

"So far, Adam Schiff's impeachment inquiry has been marked by secret interviews, selective hearings … and lies about contacts with a whistleblower," he added, referring to Schiff of California, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Schiff delayed the hearing and consulted with the House's sergeant-at-arms on removing the protesters, according to various reports.