Senate Republicans blocked a resolution aimed at keeping secret the identity of a whistleblower whose complaint against President Trump sparked an impeachment investigation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and his fellow Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii introduced a resolution stating Congress has “a duty” to protect the identity of whistleblowers.
“In normal times we would be protecting the whistleblower,” Hirono said. “That is what this resolution does.”
The resolution comes after various Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, have threatened to disclose the name of the whistleblower, because they believe he is politically motivated.
Paul blocked the Democrats’ resolution.
“The outrage we see here is selective outrage,” Paul said. “And it is because [Democrats] are intent on removing Trump from office and will use whatever means they can to do it.”
Paul wants to reveal the whistleblower and said Trump has a right to face his accuser.
“The whistleblower should be called because he is making accusations against the president,” Paul said.
Paul said the whistleblower worked with former Vice President Joe Biden, who Trump said pushed out a Ukrainian prosecutor who was targeting a gas company that employed Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
The whistleblower complained about a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The whistleblower was not on the call but was told about it by someone who was alarmed that the president asked Zelensky to investigate Biden’s effort to oust the prosecutor.
Democrats at first insisted on interviewing the whistleblower at a committee hearing but have since decided they don’t need to hear from him — a move Republicans say is aimed at preventing them from cross-examining the whistleblower about his contact with the House Intelligence Committee.
