GOP House Intel Committee Members Go After Adam Schiff Over Whistleblower Subpoena
Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee used their opening moments in the first public impeachment hearing on Wednesday to takes shots at Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) over his refusal to compel the whistleblower at the heart of the Trump-Ukraine scandal to appear before Congress.
“Do you anticipate when we might vote on the ability to have the whistleblower in front of us?” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked the committee chair, referencing the unnamed official who filed a complaint regarding President Donald Trump pushing Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden during a July 25 phone call with the country’s president.
“Of the 435 members of Congress, you are the only member who knows who that individual is. Your staff is the only staff of any member of Congress that’s had a chance to talk with that individual,” he added. “We would like that opportunity. When might that happen in this proceeding?”
“That’s a false statement,” Schiff shot back. “I do not know the identity of the whistleblower. I’m determined to make sure that identity is protected … You will have an opportunity after the witnesses testify to make a motion to subpoena any witness and compel a vote.”
Earlier in the proceedings, Schiff noted that the only time he will and has denied Republican lines of questioning is when members are “seeking to out the whistleblower.”
“I’m disturbed to hear members of the committee who have in the past voiced strong support for whistleblower protections seek to undermine those protections by outing the whistleblower,” he continued.
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) responded by asking if the whistleblower can be subpoenaed “for a closed-door secret deposition so that questions can be appropriately asked of the whistleblower,” an option that Schiff said will be entertained, even if it is unlikely that the majority will allow it to happen.
Two Republican lawmakers not present in the hearing took to Twitter to accuse Schiff of lying about his knowledge of the whistleblower’s identity.
Schiff: “I don’t know the identity of the Whistleblower.”
His staff met with the Whistleblower and he lied about it!!!https://t.co/9mueJharJ8
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2019
In response to @Jim_Jordan, Adam Schiff claims he doesn’t know the identity of the whistleblower. If he doesn’t know their identity, how will he prevent them from being named?
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) November 13, 2019
Wednesday’s hearing marked the first time that lawmakers have deliberated over the impeachment inquiry in a public setting — as the numerous previous sessions on the matter have been held behind closed doors — and will feature testimonies from U.S. diplomat to the Ukraine Bill Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent.
Watch above, via CNN.
