House Republicans are proving increasingly desperate in pushing back against the House Democrat-led impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. As the inquiry’s first scheduled public hearings approach this coming week, House Republicans have now unveiled a list of witnesses they wish to call, although according to previously House majority-approved impeachment procedures, witnesses must be approved by House leadership, meaning Democrats. The GOP is lashing out in response — right in the middle of their list, they’ve included the still officially anonymous whistleblower themselves whose complaint helped spark the impeachment inquiry.
There have been numerous concerns about the whistleblower’s safety thanks to issues like Trump’s own incessant public antagonism of them. At one point, he even suggested that the people behind his complaint might as well be executed, like “spies.”
Now, the House Intelligence Committee’s top Republican Devin Nunes (Calif.) says in a letter to Intel Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), referring first to the resolution formalizing procedures for public hearings:
‘Americans see through this sham impeachment process, despite the Democrats’ efforts to retroactively legitimize it last week… To provide transparency to your otherwise opaque and unfair process, and after consultation with [House Oversight Committee] Ranking Member Jim Jordan and [House Foreign Affairs Committee] Ranking Member Michael McCaul, the American people deserve to hear from the following witnesses in an open setting… Because President Trump should be afforded an opportunity to confront his accusers, the anonymous whistleblower should testify.’
Nunes didn’t even stop there. His letter also insists that “[a]ll individuals relied upon by the whistleblower in drafting his or her anonymous complaint” should also testify publicly.
Of them — who Trump has also targeted with quips about execution for supposed but in reality nonexistent espionage — Nunes wrote:
‘The whistleblower’s complaint alleged that most, if not all, of these individuals had firsthand information related to the whistleblower’s claims, making their testimony particularly relevant to the American people.’
Trump’s Republican allies have pointed to the supposed “will of the people” or whatever over and over again already, but reality tells a different story. According to the current RealClearPolitics average of related polls, more than half of Americans support the impeachment inquiry at present. More than half! Some 48.5 percent of Americans explicitly support impeachment and removal from office, according to the same data.
Still, Nunes’ belligerence did not end with demanding that the whistleblower and their sources publicly testify. He also named a cast of characters including former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, Hunter Biden’s business partner Devon Archer, former Democratic National Committee staffer Alexandra Chalupa, and others.
Nunes topped off his list of demands by insisting:
‘Your failure to fulfill Minority witness requests shall constitute evidence of your denial of fundamental fairness and due process.’
No it won’t. What’s the GOP’s plan — to go in a federal courthouse and start shouting at a judge that the whole process is just so unfair? Perceptions of fairness held by those under investigation and their allies don’t normally warrant reshaping an entire investigation, and they’re not about to now.
