House Democrats believe there is sufficient evidence to advance their closed-door impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump without seeking testimony from the so-called “whistleblower,” whose complaint initially prompted the probe, according to a Thursday evening report.
The Washington Post, citing several House Democrats, reports that the so-called “whistleblower’s” testimony is no longer a priority in the wake of testimonies delivered by Ukraine’s top diplomat, William Taylor, and former National Security Council senior director Fiona Hill, before congressional investigators.
Taylor told lawmakers that Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, notified Andriy Yermak, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that military assistance would only be provided when Zelensky agreed to look into allegations of corruption against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Robert Luskin, an attorney for Sondland, said his client has no recollection of the alleged discussion.
“I think it’s quite clear we have a surfeit of evidence that corroborates in full every aspect of what happened and the policy they were pursuing,” Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), a member of the House Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees, said in a statement to the Post.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told the Post:
This is the role that whistleblowers play: Whistleblowers are the people who set off a process by telling the truth. The whistleblower will go down in history as a hero for kicking off this process. But the whistleblower is no longer integral to the investigation in any way.
Appearing October 13th on CBS News Face the Nation, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said the so-called “whistleblower’s” testimony “might not be necessary.”
Meanwhile, Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have called for the so-called “whistleblower’s” identity to be revealed and for he or she to testify publically.
The president tweeted Thursday:
Where is the Whistleblower, and why did he or she write such a fictitious and incorrect account of my phone call with the Ukrainian President? Why did the IG allow this to happen? Who is the so-called Informant (Schiff?) who was so inaccurate? A giant Scam!
The so-called “whistleblower,” whose report prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to launch an impeachment inquiry, has had their credibility called into question in recent weeks. According to CNN and the Washington Examiner, the anonymous individual is not only a registered Democrat, but also worked with Biden in the Obama White House.
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