Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham vowed to make the anonymous Ukraine whistleblowers testify publicly if Democrats move forward with impeachment.
"Here’s what’s going to happen: if the whistleblowers' allegations are turned into an impeachment article it’s imperative that the whistleblower be interviewed in public, under oath, and cross-examined,” Graham said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures,” adding, "if that doesn't happen in the House, I'll make sure it happens in the Senate."
Graham also seemed to agree with a demand President Trump made—that he had the right to meet his accusers.
"There can be no valid impeachment process unless the president can confront the witnesses against him," Graham said.
Over the weekend, the attorney representing the Ukraine whistleblower said he was representing a second whistleblower who was supporting some of the allegations made about President Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
As some pointed out, however, President Trump already released the transcript.
BREAKING: Transcript of the call has already been released https://t.co/smR11pAnis
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 6, 2019
"I think it’s ridiculous to say the president did something wrong based on the phone call," Graham said, reiterating that there was no quid pro quo in pushing Ukraine to investigate the BIdens in exchange for military aid.
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Graham's vow came the same day 90 former national security officials wrote a letter demanding the whistleblower's identity remain protected.
"A responsible whistleblower makes all Americans safer by ensuring that serious wrongdoing can be investigated and addressed, thus advancing the cause of national security to which we have devoted our careers," they wrote in an open letter to the American people. "What’s more, being a responsible whistleblower means that, by law, one is protected from certain egregious forms of retaliation."
They continued: "Whatever one’s view of the matters discussed in the whistleblower’s complaint, all Americans should be united in demanding that all branches of our government and all outlets of our media protect this whistleblower and his or her identity."
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