ICYMI: Here's what you missed on Sunday's "Face the Nation", November 3, 2019
As Democrats make a full press toward impeachment after voting to formalize the process and procedures of the inquiry last week, the attorney for the whistleblower in the Trump-Ukraine call controversy threw Republicans for a loop after telling CBS News that his client would be willing to answer GOP questions in the probe, offering House minority members who have all but decried the inquiry as a "witch hunt" a direct channel of communications with the key figure behind the probe.
Here's the big takeaways from Sunday's episode of "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan
Lawyer: Whistleblower willing to answer GOP questions in impeachment probe
A lawyer for the whistleblower who reported concerns about the president's dealings with Ukraine told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan that he offered to have Republicans on the House Intelligence Community submit questions to his client directly without having to go through the committee's Democratic majority.
What he said: Attorney Mark Zaid told CBS News he contacted Representative Devin Nunes, the committee's ranking member, on Saturday to say his client is willing to answer Republicans' questions under oath and penalty of perjury if lawmakers submitted written questions to the whistleblower's legal team. The inspector general of the intelligence community, a President Trump appointee, could verify the whistleblower's identity in order to satisfy the committee's minority members while protecting the individual's anonymity.
Why that matters: This could come as a blow to Democrats after the whistleblower had offered to answer questions under oath and in writing if submitted by the House Intelligence Committee as a whole. This new offer would be a direct channel of communication with the Republicans who are in the minority on that committee. Republican leadership has complained that the process is unfair and overly restrictive on their ability to question witnesses.
McCarthy wants Schiff to testify about staff contacts with whistleblower
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Congressman Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, should testify publicly before Congress about communications between his staff and the whistleblower who filed the complaint which sparked the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
- What McCarthy said: "The first person we should bring is Adam Schiff and his staff," McCarthy, a Republican from California, said on "Face the Nation" Sunday. He added, "He is the only person who knows who this whistleblower is."
- Why that matters: McCarthy's comments are the latest in a string of GOP criticism of the Democrat-led impeachment probe. But Schiff acknlowedged on "Face the Nation" back in October that he "should have been much more clear" when he said in an earlier interview that the committee had not spoken to the whistleblower.
Speier says House to release key transcripts this week
- Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California, a member of the Democratic majority in the House Intelligence Committee, said the American public can expect to see this week transcripts of recent closed-door congressional appearances by current and former Trump administration officials at the center of the impeachment inquiry.
- What Speier said: ""I think you're going to see all of the transcripts that are going to be released probably within the next five days," Speier said on "Face the Nation" Sunday. "I don't know if they're all going to be released on the same day. But they're going to be very telling to the American people."
- Why that matters: In recent weeks, congressional testimony from several current and former officials has detailed a shadow diplomatic campaign by allies of the president to communicate to a newly elected Ukrainian government that a White House meeting and a multimillion-dollar military aid package were contingent on Ukraine launching and announcing several investigations.
- On Monday, the committees released the first transcripts of closed-door depositions in the intensifying probe into President Trump's dealings with Ukraine.
The Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs panels released transcripts of hours-long hearings they held with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and Michael McKinley, a former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The testimony of two other key witnesses -- Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker -- are set to be released Tuesday.
Hoyer says lawmakers "have a duty to the country" to pursue impeachment
- Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the House, said lawmakers in Congress have a constitutional responsibility to continue the intensifying impeachment inquiry into President Trump — regardless of the potential political fallout his party may face.
- What Hoyer said: "This is not a calculation about whether this is good for us politically or bad for us politically," Hoyer said on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. He conceded that the overall probe "may well" have political ramifications for Democrats. But he suggested it is a price his party is willing to pay. "But we have a duty. We have a duty to the country, to the American people, and to the Constitution of the United States," he said.
- Why that matters: Democrats are not backing down or shirking responsibility when it comes to potentially filing articles of impeachment against the president -- a bold move for any party, particularly during an election year.
