Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Bookended by dry discussions of the legal definition of the word “urgent,” the country’s top intelligence officer made an admission Thursday that Democrats can carry like a banner into battle as they launch an impeachment inquiry in the coming weeks. “I think the whistle-blower did the right thing,” acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire said under questioning during an occasionally tense House Intelligence Committee hearing. The three-hour session provided the first glimpse into House Democrats’ freshly opened inquiry, which centers around President Trump’s request that Ukraine’s president investigate Trump’s political rival Joe Biden while his administration held up hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid to the country. Maguire’s testimony provided fresh fodder for that investigation, while Republicans appeared to struggle to defend Trump’s behavior, with a few of them not even attempting to. But the often technical and process-focused hearing was a reminder that Democrats face an uphill climb in using their committees to paint a clear picture of wrongdoing for the American people as they fight a president who defends himself with an entertainer’s panache. Since winning back the House majority last November, Democrats have at best a mixed record in their attempts to stage blockbuster hearings that uncover damaging new information about Trump. The notable exception was the questioning of Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen ... Link to the full article to read more