GOP lawyer's facial expressions and questioning steal the show at impeachment hearing

Twitter reactions to Stephen Castor, the GOP lawyer acting as counsel in the first public hearing of President Trump's impeachment. Twitter reactions to Stephen Castor, the GOP lawyer acting as counsel in the first public hearing of President Trump's impeachment. Photo: Screenshot / Twitter Photo: Screenshot / Twitter Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close GOP lawyer's facial expressions and questioning steal the show at impeachment hearing 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

Click through the gallery above for some of the best jokes on Twitter about Stephen Castor, the GOP lawyer who questioned witnesses during the impeachment hearing Wednesday.

We pretty much knew what to expect from the first public impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump: two key witnesses, tough questioning, talk of a quid pro quo, and a healthy dose of grandstanding from representatives of both parties.

What we couldn't have predicted is the sideshow of entertainment provided by Stephen R. Castor, the Republican lawyer acting as general counsel for the House Oversight and Reform Committee. (His Democratic counterpart is Daniel Goldman.)

READ MORE: Who is Stephen R. Castor, the GOP staff attorney in the impeachment hearings?

When he wasn't actively cross-examining witnesses, cameras snapped pictures of Castor making funny facial expressions or looking like he was napping.

Photo: Pool, Getty Images Republican Counsel Steve Castor questions witnesses during the...

Photo: Drew Angerer, Getty Images Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes...

The man sitting behind Castor, who also has an expressive face, got a fair amount of attention on Twitter, too.

Wednesday's hearing is the first public portion of the ongoing impeachment proceedings. The House Intelligence Committee is investigating whether Trump has committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" that could get him ousted from office. Specifically, they're looking into a whistleblower's complaint that Trump offered the president of Ukraine a quid pro quo: foreign aid for an investigation into Joe Biden's son's business dealings.

One particular line of questioning also caught people's attention. Castor was asking William Taylor, acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, about Gordon Sondland's role in American foreign policy with Ukraine. Sondland is the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

"It's a little unusual for the U.S. ambassador to the E.U. to play a role in Ukraine policy," said Taylor.

"It might be irregular, but it’s certainly not outlandish," Castor answered.

Taylor appears speechless and Castor moves on.

House Republicans’ lawyer STEVE CASTOR:



"It might be irregular, but it’s certainly not outlandish.”



*Bill Taylor nods, doesn’t respond*



*Castor moves on* pic.twitter.com/8nxZut5cSR — JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) November 13, 2019

Steve Castor: "This irregular channel of diplomacy it’s not as outlandish as it could be, is that correct?”



Ambassador Taylor: "It’s not as outlandish as it could be -- I agree."



Watch LIVE here: https://t.co/vmvzc9qI9j #ImpeachmentHearings pic.twitter.com/JNlgGe9kGI — CSPAN (@cspan) November 13, 2019

Pundits and comedians on Twitter jumped on Castor's apparent line of defense that the Trump administration's relationship with Ukraine isn't "as outlandish as it could be."

“Not as outlandish as it could be” could be the title of a book about the last few years. — Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) November 13, 2019

"It might be irregular, but it's not outlandish"



is not much of a defense but should definitely be printed on t-shirts. — Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) November 13, 2019

See the gallery at the top of this story for some of the best Twitter reactions to Stephen Castor and Wednesday's impeachment hearing.

Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.