Devin Nunes tries to out Ukraine whistleblower at third impeachment hearing

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) attempted to out the whistleblower at a public impeachment hearing on Tuesday, asking Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — who was testifying in the impeachment inquiry — probing questions that aimed to determine who the whistleblower is.

Nunes’ attempt to reveal the whistleblower was shut down by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee who is presiding over the impeachment hearings.

“I want to make sure that there’s no effort to out the whistleblower through the use of these hearings,” Schiff said, leading to grumbles from Republicans on the committee, who have been trying to shift focus from Donald Trump to the whistleblower. “If the witness has a good faith belief that this may reveal the identity of the whistleblower, that is not the purpose that we are here for and I want to advise the witness accordingly.”

Republicans have been attempting to out the whistleblower throughout the impeachment inquiry.

The whistleblower’s complaint is what led to the impeachment probe that now imperils Trump’s presidency, and Republicans have been trying to out the person in an effort to discredit the whistleblower’s motives.

However, the whistleblower’s account has now been corroborated by multiple witnesses, making the whistleblower irrelevant to determining whether Trump abused the office of the presidency.

And given that the whistleblower could face danger should their identity be revealed — as Trump himself has called for the whistleblower to be executed for treason — forcing that person to come forward is not a necessary risk.

Schiff, for his part, has threatened ethics investigations against any members of Congress who outs the whistleblower.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.