Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Thursday called for the “whistleblower” to be subpoenaed to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry and questioned about former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden and corruption.
He acknowledged a report by RealClearInvestigations that the “whistleblower” is likely CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella who was former Vice President Joe Biden’s “point man” on Ukraine.
“It is being reported that the whistleblower was Joe Biden’s point man on Ukraine. It is imperative the whistleblower is subpoenaed and asked under oath about Hunter Biden and corruption,” Paul tweeted, along with a link to the RealClearInvestigations report.
“It is imperative the whistleblower is subpoenaed and asked under oath about Hunter Biden and corruption,” he added.
It is being reported that the whistleblower was Joe Biden’s point man on Ukraine. It is imperative the whistleblower is subpoenaed and asked under oath about Hunter Biden and corruption. https://t.co/qsOwZ4H2IN
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 31, 2019
Former White House officials told RealClearInvestigations that Ciaramella worked on Ukrainian policy issues for Biden in 2015 and 2016 when the vice president was former President Barack Obama’s lead official on Ukraine.
One of the “whistleblower’s” lawyers responded to Paul’s tweet with a quote from Paul’s father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), about protecting whistleblowers.
"Whistle-blowers are the truth-seekers, and we must demand the truth. Who does not want to know the truth? Sadly, in an empire of lies, the truth has become treason."
Says your father. https://t.co/AQXSdX4IOQ
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) November 1, 2019
Shortly after, the “whistleblower’s” legal team put out a statement defending the whistleblower, declining to confirm or deny his identity and warning against attempts to identify him:
IC WB STATEMENT: In light of the increasing and irresponsible speculation about the Intelligence Community Whistleblower's identity, we are issuing the following statement: https://t.co/04OdmWl6mq
— Andrew P. Bakaj (@AndrewBakaj) November 1, 2019
House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry based on the “whistleblower’s” complaint to the intelligence community inspector general that Trump was withholding military assistance to Ukraine in exchange for dirt on Biden.
The New York Times reported that the “whistleblower” reportedly went to staff members of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) with concerns about Trump’s policy towards Ukraine and that staff instructed him to file a complaint with the intelligence community inspector general.
Schiff later threatened to subpoena the whistleblower complaint, and House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry based on the complaint.
Schiff first denied that he or his staff had contact with the whistleblower before the complaint, but after the Times‘ report, aides later claimed that Schiff meant he never personally had contact with the whistleblower and the committee had never formally interviewed him.
Follow Breitbart News’ @Kristina_Wong.
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