Whistleblower willing to answer Republicans’ questions, lawyer says

The whistleblower who touched off an impeachment inquiry with his explosive complaint about President Donald Trump’s effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals is willing to answer House Republicans’ written questions, his legal team said Sunday.

The offer is intended to deter Republican attacks and show that the whistleblower, a CIA officer, is above the political rancour unleashed by the House Democrats’ inquiry. Led by Trump, House Republicans have assailed the whistleblower as politically motivated and demanded his identity be revealed.

Mark S Zaid, a lawyer for the whistleblower, directly challenged those attacks Sunday. “Being a whistleblower is not a partisan job nor is impeachment an objective,” he wrote on Twitter. “That is not our role.”

He continued: “We stand ready to cooperate and ensure facts — rather than partisanship — dictates any process involving the #whistleblower.”

Zaid said that his client would provide answers in writing under oath, but would not respond to any “inappropriate” questions, including those seeking identifying information.

The offer seemed unlikely to satisfy Republicans. A senior Republican aide working on the impeachment inquiry dismissed it Sunday, saying Republicans believed that the whistleblower needed to come before the House in person, under oath.

Rep Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he was not aware of the offer, but reiterated his desire to have the whistleblower “come forward in an open hearing.”

“When you’re talking about the removal of the president of the United States, undoing democracy, undoing what the American people had voted for, I think that individual should come before the committee,” McCarthy said. “He can come down to the basement, but he needs to answer the questions.”

Republicans argue that Democrats’ willingness to forgo testimony should raise red flags about the whistleblower’s role.

House Democrats, for their part, have maintained that hearing from the whistleblower is not necessary, and have stressed the importance of protecting his identity and safety. Rep Adam Schiff of California, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, has argued that a transcript of Trump’s call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine in which he asks him for “a favour” is public and that House investigators have collected a tranche of damning testimony and evidence, including from sources with more direct information.

c.2019 The New York Times Company