Republicans shrug off impeachment hearings as 'boring'

But as the televised testimony got underway, they adopted a new talking point: the hearings were just dull.

"This sham hearing is not only boring, it is a colossal waste of taxpayer time & money," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted.

The President's son Eric echoed her.

"This is horribly boring..." he wrote on Twitter. "#Snoozefest."

As lawmakers took a break midday — after learning an explosive new detail from top US diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor about Trump's interest in the country investigating his political rivals — some Republicans said they couldn't keep their eyes open.

"I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to stay awake and listen to all of this," GOP Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolinian and a top Trump ally, told lawmakers.

Whether the hearing proves boring to the American people remains to be seen. Some Democrats have privately expressed concerns that the sheer volume of information — key players, dates and allegations — could prove confusing to the public.

Trump himself told reporters in the Oval Office he'd been too busy to watch the proceedings as they began earlier in the day.

"I did not watch it. I'm too busy to watch it," he said. "It's a witch hunt, it's a hoax. I'm too busy to watch it. So I'm sure I'll get a report."