Fox News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said Thursday that House Republicans are griping about impeachment rules they wrote themselves just four years ago.
In an interview on "Fox & Friends," Napolitano said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is just following those GOP-approved rules.
"As frustrating as it may be to have these hearings going on behind closed doors, the hearings for which Congressman Schiff is presiding, they are consistent with the rules," he said.
"They can't change the rules," he added. "They follow the rules. When were the rules written last? In January of 2015. And who signed them? [Former House Speaker] John Boehner [R-Ohio]. And who enacted them? A Republican majority."
Napolitano said the rules justify an "initial level of inquiry" in the impeachment questioning can be "done in secret."
He also pointed out: "These are not the impeachment hearings."
"The impeachment hearings have to be held in public by the House Judiciary Committee," he said. "This is the initial interview of witnesses to see what they have to say to determine whether or not they are even worthy of presenting evidence of impeachment."
"That's what police and prosecutors do," he added. "They come to a conclusion that the person is probably guilty, and then they look for evidence to support or to negate that. That's what Congressman Schiff is doing. And he is following the rules."