Republicans seek whistleblower's identity in U.S. impeachment inquiry
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[October 30, 2019]
By Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican and
Democratic lawmakers clashed on Tuesday over questions about the
identity of the whistleblower whose complaint led to the impeachment
investigation of President Donald Trump.
The skirmish revealed a growing dispute between the two sides, as
Republicans say they need to hear from the intelligence official who
initially raised the alarm over Trump's attempts to get Ukraine to
investigate his political rivals in order to assess the whistleblower's
credibility.
Democrats say the whistleblower's testimony is not needed at this point
because it has been corroborated by other witnesses. Bringing him or her
forward after repeated attacks by Trump would only put the
whistleblower's safety at risk, they said.
"We have a long-standing concern that the president and his allies in
Congress aren't interested in the underlying act but are interested in
risking the life of the whistleblower," Representative Eric Swalwell
told reporters.
Government personnel have been assigned to protect the whistleblower,
according to sources familiar with the matter, after Trump has attacked
the whistleblower and conservative news outlets and social-media
activists speculated about the individual's identity.
As many as five possible names for the whistleblower have circulated in
political circles, according to sources familiar with efforts to protect
the whistleblower.
"Such behavior is at the pinnacle of irresponsibility and is
intentionally reckless," the whistleblower's lawyers, Andrew Bakaj and
Mark Zaid, told Reuters on Tuesday.
In a closed-door hearing on Tuesday, Intelligence Committee Chairman
Adam Schiff cut off a Republican line of questioning of a witness, Army
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, objecting that it was designed to
reveal the whistleblower's identity.
Republicans said they were trying to figure out who Vindman had spoken
with after Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to
investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a July 25
phone call.
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U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff
(D-CA) speaks to reporters during a break in a closed-door
deposition of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon
Sondland as part of the U.S. House of Representatives
impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Trump led by the
House Intelligence, House Foreign Affairs and House
Oversight and Reform Committees on Capitol Hill in
Washington, U.S., October 28, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott
They said they do not aim to publicly reveal the whistleblower's
identity but need to assess his or her motivations.
"It's tough to determine someone's credibility if you can't put them
under oath and ask them questions," Republican Representative Jim
Jordan told reporters.
After Vindman's testimony, Schiff accused Trump and his allies of
seeking to "out," or reveal the identity of, the whistleblower and
insisted that his committee will not allow that to happen.
"We will make every effort to make sure that notwithstanding the
president or his allies' desire to out and exact political revenge
on this whistleblower, that our committee is never used for that
purpose," Schiff said in a brief statement to reporters, not
responding to questions.
In previous sessions, Republicans have asked witnesses whether they
know the person they suspect to be the whistleblower and inquired
about possible motives, according to a congressional aide.
The whistleblower's lawyers have told congressional investigators
their client is only interested in answering written questions.
(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Susan CornwellWriting
by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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