Jim Jordan Says Republicans Will Subpoena Whistleblower to Public Impeachment Hearing
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan told reporters Thursday that House Republicans intend to subpoena the whistleblower in the House’s impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
Jordan, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said he wants the whistleblower to testify in private as well as in public, The Daily Caller reported.
The Ohio Republican’s announcement comes days after his Op-Ed in USA Today arguing for the whistleblower to appear before Congress.
Jordan wrote in the piece, published Tuesday, that “the ‘whistleblower’ must testify under oath and in person.”
“Americans understand fairness,” Jordan wrote. “They know when someone is getting a raw deal.
“The Democrats’ impeachment push, based on this anonymous and secondhand complaint, is fundamentally unfair.”
The “Whistleblower’s” lawyer called for a “coup” almost as soon as President Trump took office.
All the more reason why we need to hear from the individual who started this whole impeachment sham.
The “Whistleblower” should testify under oath and in person. https://t.co/oSwhWuXm3j
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) November 7, 2019
Republican rhetoric notwithstanding, an attempt by the GOP to make the whistleblower testify is expected to fail.
Any witness in the inquiry must be approved by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, according to the New York Post.
The California Democrat is unlikely to approve such a request.
Schiff said last week that “the president’s allies would like nothing better than to help the president out this whistleblower,” The Hill reported.
“Our committee will not be a part of that,” he said.
The whistleblower, who complained about Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has come under increasing scrutiny from Republicans in recent weeks for his alleged political bias and partisan motivations.
The individual reportedly worked with former Vice President Joe Biden, who is now seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
Further, one of the attorneys representing the whistleblower has a history of anti-Trump tweets, writing in 2017 that “we will get rid of” the president.
Jordan is not the only Republican to argue that the whistleblower should testify publicly.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that federal laws protecting whistleblowers are “designed to protect you from being fired if you come forward,” according to the Post.
“The whole process is a joke. ….You [media] just pick things you like. Ya’ll hate this guy [Trump]. Ya’ll want to get him impeached. I’m not buying into Schiff running a legitimate operation over there. …This is a political vendetta.” — @LindseyGrahamSC pic.twitter.com/RprXX4GHVJ
— Kevin Bishop (@KevinDBishop) November 6, 2019
“It doesn’t give you anonymity,” he added. “Nobody should be prosecuted based on an anonymous accusation.”
Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina agreed, telling reporters that “the whistleblower statute never required for anonymity,” according to The Hill.
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