Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump: Whistleblower 'Must Be Brought Forward to Testify'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
November 4, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — The whistleblower who raised alarms about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and touched off the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry is willing to answer written questions submitted by House Republicans, the person’s lawyer says.

“Being a whistleblower is not a partisan job nor is impeachment an objective. That is not our role.” — Mark Zaid, the whistleblower’s attorney
But President Donald says that’s not good enough.
Trump himself refused to provide anything but written answers in response to limited questions during the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election.
The testimony offer, made over the weekend to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, followed escalating attacks by Trump and his GOP allies who are demanding the whistleblower’s identity be revealed.
It would allow Republicans to ask questions of the whistleblower without having to go through the committee’s chairman, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.
“Being a whistleblower is not a partisan job nor is impeachment an objective. That is not our role,” Mark Zaid, the whistleblower’s attorney, tweeted Sunday.
“We will ensure timely answers,” he said.
U.S. whistleblower laws exist to protect the identity and careers of people who bring forward accusations of wrongdoing by government officials. Lawmakers in both major political parties have historically backed those protections.

Trump Has Denied He Did Anything Wrong

But Trump, weighing in on Twitter Monday morning, said the person should appear publicly.
“He must be brought forward to testify. Written answers not acceptable!” Trump wrote, slamming the entire process as a “Con!”
Trump has denied he did anything wrong in his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in which he pressed Zelenskiy to investigate Trump’s political rivals. At the time, the administration was withholding military aid to Ukraine that had been approved by Congress.
That call sparked the complaint that led to the inquiry.
Zaid said the whistleblower would answer questions directly from Republican members “in writing, under oath & penalty of perjury.” Only queries seeking the person’s identity won’t be answered, he said.
Nunes’ office did not have immediate comment.
The new proposal came as Trump stepped up his attacks on the investigation, tweeting on Sunday, “Reveal the Whistleblower and end the Impeachment Hoax!”
The whistleblower’s secondhand account of the phone call has been providing a road map for House Democrats investigating whether the president and others in his orbit pressured Ukraine to probe political opponents, including former Vice President Joe Biden.

Photo of Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks to reporters just before the House vote on a resolution to formalize the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The Whistleblower’s Complaint Has Been Corroborated in Many Respects

Democrats are heading into a crucial phase of their impeachment inquiry as they move toward public impeachment hearings this month. They have called for testimony in the coming weeks from 11 witnesses, including Energy Secretary Rick Perry and former national security adviser John Bolton in closed-door interviews. It’s unclear whether any of them will come to Capitol Hill.
Trump is also pushing the news media to divulge the whistleblower’s identity.
“They know who it is. You know who it is. You just don’t want to report it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday. “And you know you’d be doing the public a service if you did.”
The Associated Press typically does not reveal the identity of any whistleblower.
The whistleblower’s complaint has been corroborated in many respects by people with firsthand knowledge of the events who have appeared on Capitol Hill.
Trump says he demanded no quid pro quo, as has been alleged, but he also says such arrangement are common while leveraging power in conducting foreign policy.
The whistleblower has become a central focus for Republicans, and in particular the president. The intelligence community’s inspector general has said the person could have an “arguable political bias,” but he nevertheless found the whistleblower’s complaint to be “credible.”

The Inquiry Was Approved in a Mostly Partisan Vote

The president believes that if he can expose bias in the initial allegations against him, he can paint the entire impeachment inquiry as a partisan, political probe. To this point, Republicans have largely fought the inquiry on process, not substance, arguing it is tainted because interviews are being conducted in closed sessions — though GOP lawmakers are in attendance and grilling the witnesses — and complaining that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had not called a vote to launch the matter.

“When you’re talking about the removal of the president of the United States, undoing democracy, undoing what the American public had voted for, I think that individual should come before the committee.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Pelosi did call such a vote last week — the inquiry was approved in a mostly partisan vote — and the investigation will soon shift into open hearings.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Sunday that he had not yet discussed the whistleblower’s offer with Nunes, but agreed with Trump that the person should answer questions in a public appearance before the committee.
“When you’re talking about the removal of the president of the United States, undoing democracy, undoing what the American public had voted for, I think that individual should come before the committee,” McCarthy told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Attorney Zaid said his team had addressed the issue of alleged bias with Republican members of the committee and had stressed the need for anonymity to maintain the safety of the whistleblower and that person’s family, “but with little effect in halting the attacks.”
“Let me be absolutely clear: Our willingness to cooperate has not changed,” tweeted Andrew P. Bakaj, another attorney representing the whistleblower. “Their fixation on exposing the whistleblower’s identity is simply because they’re at a loss as to how to address the investigations the underlying disclosure prompted.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Dyer Doesn’t Use Veto on Controversial Smoke Shop Ordinance

DON'T MISS

Fresno Fire Displaces Two After Faulty Appliance Sparks Blaze

DON'T MISS

Real Estate Remains Top Investment Choice Amid Market Volatility

DON'T MISS

Clash Over Teen Sex Solicitation Reveals the Rift Within CA Democratic Party

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Terry Lee Jackson

DON'T MISS

US Judge Blocks Trump From Shuttering Three Federal Agencies

DON'T MISS

Can Steve Brandau Help Rescue the Fresno County Transportation Tax Renewal?

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Lets Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Take Effect

DON'T MISS

Columbia University Lays off Nearly 180 Researchers Due to Trump Funding Cuts

DON'T MISS

Almost Half of Gazans Willing to Leave, Survey Finds

UP NEXT

Draymond Green’s Vow to Keep His Cool Helps Warriors Advance to in West Semis

UP NEXT

Ian Happ Homers as the Cubs Beat the Sloppy Giants

UP NEXT

Warren Buffett Shocks Shareholders by Announcing His Intention to Retire at the End of the Year

UP NEXT

Don’t Have a REAL ID Yet? That Could Cause You Travel Headaches After May 7

UP NEXT

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial to Delve Into the Seediest Side of Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’

UP NEXT

Robbie Ray’s Gem Leads the Giants Over the Rockies

UP NEXT

World’s Tallest and Smallest Dogs Meet Up for a Playdate

UP NEXT

University of Texas Chancellor Is Named President of the University of California

UP NEXT

Here’s Why May the 4th Is Celebrated as Star Wars Day Across the Galaxy

UP NEXT

Military Parade on Trump’s Birthday Could Include More Than 6,500 Troops

Clash Over Teen Sex Solicitation Reveals the Rift Within CA Democratic Party

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Terry Lee Jackson

3 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump From Shuttering Three Federal Agencies

3 hours ago

Can Steve Brandau Help Rescue the Fresno County Transportation Tax Renewal?

3 hours ago

US Supreme Court Lets Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Take Effect

3 hours ago

Columbia University Lays off Nearly 180 Researchers Due to Trump Funding Cuts

4 hours ago

Almost Half of Gazans Willing to Leave, Survey Finds

5 hours ago

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Threatens Texas City Over Pro-Palestinian Resolution

5 hours ago

Anti-Israel Boycott Bill Withdrawn from Congressional Vote

5 hours ago

Ravens Release Justin Tucker After Accusations by Massage Therapists of Inappropriate Behavior

6 hours ago

Dyer Doesn’t Use Veto on Controversial Smoke Shop Ordinance

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer declined to veto a city council ordinance that will regulate smoke and vaping shops. When Dyer did not turn in a ...

27 minutes ago

27 minutes ago

Dyer Doesn’t Use Veto on Controversial Smoke Shop Ordinance

A faulty appliance sparked a fire at a Fresno home Tuesday, May 6, 2025, displacing two residents but causing no injuries. (Fresno FD)
29 minutes ago

Fresno Fire Displaces Two After Faulty Appliance Sparks Blaze

1 hour ago

Real Estate Remains Top Investment Choice Amid Market Volatility

2 hours ago

Clash Over Teen Sex Solicitation Reveals the Rift Within CA Democratic Party

Terry Lee Jackson is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 6, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Terry Lee Jackson

The U.S. flag, a judge gavel and a vintage scale are seen in this illustration taken August 6, 2024. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
3 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump From Shuttering Three Federal Agencies

3 hours ago

Can Steve Brandau Help Rescue the Fresno County Transportation Tax Renewal?

A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. President Donald Trump with the LGBTQ flag in the background is seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
3 hours ago

US Supreme Court Lets Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Take Effect

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend