Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee killed a motion to call House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff to testify in the impeachment inquiry, given how central his office has been in the whistleblower complaint that sparked the inquiry in the first place.
Republican Doug Collins motioned to require Schiff to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, transmitting a letter requesting the same.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler recognized a Democrat who made another motion to postpone Collins’ motion.
Strict Party Line Vote
That’s when Democrats voted to table the motion–and Republicans predictably voted against doing so .
The strict party line vote was 24-17.
Schiff lied about @realDonaldTrump’s call.
He lied about contact with the whistleblower.
Yet every Judiciary Democrat just went on the record *against* Schiff testifying.
What is Schiff hiding? The American people deserve answers!
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) December 4, 2019
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee had requested Schiff testify during the early phases of the impeachment inquiry, after it was revealed that the whistleblower had contacted Schiff’s committee before lodging his complaint.
According to the New York Times, the whistleblower contacted a Schiff aide before filing the complaint, and the aide told the whistleblower to get legal representation and then file a formal complaint. The aide also sent the “outlines” of the whistleblower’s complaint to Schiff, reported the Times.
Shady Schiff
When Schiff finally disclosed the existence of the whistleblower complaint, he also demanded that the Inspector General to hand the complaint over to Congress.
Originally, Schiff denied he or his office ever communicated with the whistleblower before he filed the complaint. The Democrat’s staff later walked back his comments, claiming he meant that there was never a formal interview with the whistleblower, and that Schiff had never met with the person himself.
? Democrats just tabled a motion to require Adam Schiff to appear before the House Judiciary Committee & testify about the impeachment report he wrote. ?
What do these Judiciary Democrats fear from Chairman Schiff's appearance?
Why won't Chairman Schiff answer our questions? pic.twitter.com/xfgGuTiuqX
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) December 4, 2019
RELATED: Schiff Warns GOP: Name Whistleblower In Public Hearings, And Face Possible Ethics Probe
Schiff continues to deny knowing the whistleblower’s identity, but has stopped Republicans questioning witnesses on who they spoke with in the intelligence community about concerns that President Trump was withholding aid from Ukraine allegedly as political leverage to spy on Joe Biden.
At first, Schiff said he would have the whistleblower in to testify, then later changed his mind, saying it was not necessary. To date, Schiff has refused to call the whistleblower in to testify despite Republican requests.
If articles of impeachment on Trump is voted on by the House and it then heads to the Senate, Republicans would be able to request that Schiff testify.