Schiff Says House Democrats May Not Ask Whistleblower To Testify

[ralph_vonholst]

And Barr will continue to protect Trump

Barr, Trump, Rudy, and Pence are Siamese quadruplets, joined at the hip. And the song they sing together will be a dissonant, polytonal one.

[jonney_5]

Just make sure about 20-25 GOP senators will vote to convict.

If the WB doesn’t testify Trump and Fox will call that vindication and just call them a liar and coward etc…

Shithead Senate Republicans will call this the reason they can’t vote to impeach. It will be their fig leaf.

The Media will allow it because by that time Warren will look like the democratic nominee and they will need trump to be credible because a Warren presidency will make their corporate ownership pay their fair share in taxes.

[paul_lukasiak]

Translation-- a member of my staff has already interviewed the whistleblower, and provided us with lots of new information. And oh yeah…Devin Nunes can go screw himself.

[caltg]

No need to out the whistleblower and put him or her in danger from the dark forces.

You mean like the danger from Barr’s “deep state” or some “good guy with a gun.” I agree. Trump and his cohort are already dangerously out of control.

[yskov]

4. Keep the focus on stronger evidence of wrongdoing, like the text messages and Trump’s own words

Especially number 4.

[26degreesrising]

I"m glad Schiff is proposing this. Safest way to go.

[jonney_5]

I would love it if Schiff and WB lawyers are going to play this out to fuck with Republicans.

Let Republicans establish the only reason they don’t get on board is that there hasn’t been a full house vote to start the impeachment inquiry and they can’t hear from the WB, let them say in for days, then do both.

[Akimbo]

So the House comes back on Tuesday, right? Do they hold the formal impeachment vote some people think we need or just barrel forward with more witnesses?

I’m guessing Pelosi wanted her members to decide over the recess (based on feedback from constituents) and she’s already counting.

[justruss]

All it takes is for the Whistle Blower to indicate they are intimidated and fearful enough to not be present. Then on to the pile of obstruction evidence it goes. Trump, Lindsay, all of them provide some sort of substantiation by their own words.

IANAL. All opinion there.

[castor_troy]

I don’t think they’re playing. There have been real threats to out the WB, which would have far-reaching security consequences beyond just their name being known.

[dougsanders]

Dramatic as that testimony might be as spectacle, Rep. Schiff is correct; they really don’t need it to make the case.

[mattinpa]

Since virtually everything in his report has been admitted to by Trump or corroborated by other evidence, there is nothing to be gained by calling him. America doesn’t need the distraction from Republican hate media.

Yep. If you’ll permit me an obscure historical reference, this Big Whistleblower Mystery is too much like “Who Shot J.R.?” for me. Trump has fucking admitted all the facts of the matter. Then there’s Sondland. Things have moved far beyond actually hearing from this individual.

[mattinpa]

There have been real threats to out the WB, which would have far-reaching security consequences beyond just their name being known.

Sure. You have a serious story to tell, and you’d be protected if everyone played by the rules, but you look from the Trumpworld howlings for blood to your kids and back again and you wonder. When it’s not necessary anyway? Pfft.

[castor_troy]

Of course, written testimony won’t help keep him secret, either. Just run that through a comparative analysis with known writing from all of the possible suspects (It’s not a long list), you’ll figure out who it is.

[jkrogman]

Mz. Lindsey has sworn to out the whistleblower and force him/her to testify in public.

This repeated homophobia is disgusting.

[khyber900]

I suspect Schiff is saying this to take the heat off the WB, but his team has been pretty adept at gathering evidence. They’ll probably talk to the WB and have him testify but only give Nunes a few hours notice.

[jkrogman]

Give short notice when Nunes is out of town.

[mattinpa]

Of course, written testimony won’t help keep him secret, either. Just run that through a comparative analysis with known writing from all of the possible suspects (It’s not a long list), you’ll figure out who it is.

And of course the identity isn’t a total secret to everyone at this point anyway, obviously, by the person’s having begun the process in the first place. But you don’t want to give the mischievous cover to leak it, if you can avoid that.

[ghost]

How did that work in the Valerie Plame case, for example?

Scooter Libby went to jail. Until Bush 45 commuted his sentence. But he still lost his law license for several years. And then Donnie pardoned him for no reason other than to make the neocons happy and send signals to Manafort and Flynn.

Nobody expects Barr to send anyone with an R after their name to jail, but we should be well within the statute of limitations for the next Dem AG.

[dannydorko]

Nunes cannot be trusted.

Actually he can be trusted… to do the wrong thing.