The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has dismissed a Republican request for eight witnesses to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry, including House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffOvernight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Democrats, advocates seethe over Florida voting rights ruling MORE (D-Calif.) and the whistleblower who first brought forward the allegations about President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE's contacts with Ukraine.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerAttacks against the police are organized and violent This week: House returns for pre-election sprint Hillicon Valley: Twitter flags Trump campaign tweet of Biden clip as manipulated media | Democrats demand in-person election security briefings resume | Proposed rules to protect power grid raise concerns MORE (D-N.Y.) in a letter Monday to the top Republican on the Judiciary panel, Rep. Doug Collins Douglas (Doug) Allen CollinsWin by QAnon believer creates new headaches for House GOP Andrew Clyde wins Georgia GOP runoff to replace Doug Collins New poll shows tight presidential race in Georgia MORE (R-Ga.), took issue with the witnesses the Republicans intended to call.

“[T]he Committee has previously tabled motions with regards to these matters … and I see no reason to reconsider these requests,” Nadler wrote, adding that there is “no need” to hear from Schiff and the whistleblower.

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Democrats have argued that Trump committed impeachable offenses when he used the promise of a White House meeting and nearly $400 million in U.S. aid as leverage to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open two politically motivated investigations, including one into a top 2020 political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden National postal mail handlers union endorses Biden MORE. They claim Republicans are trying to distract and shift away from a narrative about the president's misconduct with a foreign leader by going after Schiff, the whistleblower and others.

Nadler also shot down other witnesses Republicans requested, including Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and witnesses related to unfounded GOP-claims of Ukrainian interference during the 2016 election.

The New York Democrat said five of Collins’s remaining requests were previously made by Rep. Devin Nunes Devin Gerald NunesSunday shows preview: With less than two months to go, race for the White House heats up Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington Sunday shows preview: White House, congressional Democrats unable to breach stalemate over coronavirus relief MORE (R-Calif.), the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, and that he concurs with Schiff’s earlier “assessment” that hearings “will not serve … as a vehicle to undertake the same sham investigations” into 2016 interference and the Bidens.

Nadler's decision sparked protests from Republicans, who have claimed that Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry have been unfair, particularly because they have blocked their witnesses.

News of Nadler’s letter comes amid a public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, in which Democrats are seeking to present evidence and make their case to the public that Trump is unfit for office.

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Republicans, on the other hand, are seeking to spin the counter-narrative that Democrats are impeachment hungry and seeking to re-write the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

The Monday hearing could be the last public opportunity for both sides to make their case before articles of impeachment are introduced.

Read Nadler letter by kballuck1 on Scribd