House Judiciary Committee member Tom McClintock Thomas (Tom) Milller McClintockHouse to vote on removing cannabis from list of controlled substances House votes to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Cook shifts 20 House districts toward Democrats MORE (R-Calif.) asked the witnesses during an impeachment inquiry hearing Wednesday whether they voted for President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE, a line of questioning that at least one of the constitutional law experts objected to publicly.

"With a show of hands, how many on the panel actually voted for Donald Trump in 2016?" McClintock asked.

"I don't think we're obligated to say anything about how we cast our ballots," Stanford Law School professor Pamela Karlan replied.

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"I think you've made your positions, Professor Karlan, very, very clear," McClintock said.

"I have a right to cast a secret ballot," Karlan retorted.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Top Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence MORE (D-N.Y.) then said that McClintock could ask the question but that the witnesses did not have to answer it.

The California Republican then asked for a show of hands of how many of the witnesses "supported" Trump in 2016.

"Not raising our hands is not an indication of an answer, sir," said Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman.

Republican member of Congress asks congressional witnesses to raise their hands if they voted for Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/tI1bHdvwNJ — Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) December 4, 2019

Four constitutional law scholars testified before the Judiciary Committee as part of the House's impeachment inquiry into Trump. Three of them were invited by Democrats, and one was invited by Republicans.

The White House declined to participate in Wednesday's proceeding, and Trump has denied wrongdoing.