Herrera Beutler’s spokeswoman declines to comment on impeachment hearings

A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, declined to comment on the content of Wednesday’s open congressional hearings with an ambassador and a State Department official.

In an email, Herrera Beutler’s spokeswoman, Angie Riesterer, wrote that reporters shouldn’t expect a “running commentary on each day’s events” from the congresswoman’s office.

“Unlike some, Jaime isn’t going to render a judgment based on one day of public hearings and six weeks of selective leaks by (Intelligence Committee) Chairman (Rep. Adam) Schiff — the president’s counsel hasn’t even been allowed to participate up to this point,” Riesterer wrote.

“Jaime will weigh all of the evidence she’s given access to at the conclusion of the process, and in the meantime she’s working on legislation that makes life better in Southwest Washington.”

Herrera Beutler thus far has been critical of the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump at every stage of the process. She initially called on the House of Representatives to open a formal inquiry to grant Republican subpoena power, and then later called the resolution that created a formal inquiry a “farce” that unduly stripped rights away from the president and the House minority party.

She’s also criticized the near-daily disclosures from the closed-door House Intelligence Committee depositions, saying she is declining to form opinions based on “the daily ad hoc release of selected documents by Chairman Schiff.”