Trump’s Conduct Poses ‘Clear and Present Danger’ to Fair Elections, Democrats Argue in Impeachment Case

Republicans lamented again and again that the Democrat who led the inquiry, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, did not testify himself about the report. They propped up a large poster on the dais that pictured a milk carton missing-person alert: “Missing: Adam Schiff.”

Even after two and a half months of sparring, the complaints by Republicans reached new levels of vitriol. Democrats showed little patience for hearing out their criticisms, and Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the Judiciary Committee’s chairman, made liberal use of his gavel as he tried to maintain order in the face of Republican efforts to interrupt the hearing with parliamentary tactics.

“Bang the gavel harder — still doesn’t make it right,” said Representative Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

“They have talked about everything else, but they have offered not one substantive word in the president’s defense,” Mr. Nadler said of the Republicans in his closing remarks. In a letter sent during the hearing, he rejected Republicans’ requests to call witnesses including Mr. Schiff, Mr. Biden’s son Hunter and the anonymous C.I.A. whistle-blower whose complaint helped start the inquiry. Republicans could demand a vote on the matter at a later date.

Republican lawmakers fumed when Mr. Berke, who appeared at a witness table at the start of the hearing to deliver his argument against Mr. Trump, later climbed onto the dais and led the cross-examination of Mr. Castor, who was also representing the Intelligence Committee lawyer. It is highly unusual for House lawyers to testify in hearings, for Mr. Castor to be testifying on behalf of two committees and for one lawyer to question another in that way, but all were allowed under the rules.

“He’s badgering the witness,” Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, Republican of Wisconsin, shot out as Mr. Berke pressed Mr. Castor.

“He is not,” Mr. Nadler fired back.

Republicans seized on a small subset of evidence in the report to accuse Democrats of what Mr. Collins called “a gratuitous drive-by” targeting a conservative journalist and a Republican lawmaker.