Panel tables motion to subpoena whistleblower
Top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, William B. Taylor (R), and Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs George P. Kent (L) are sworn in. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A motion to issue a congressional subpoena to compel the whistleblower whose complaint led to the House impeachment inquiry to appear behind closed doors has been put off.
House intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff had said earlier Wednesday that the panel would take up the motion after two diplomats completed their public testimony.
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As Schiff proposed tabling the motion, Republican Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, who had raised the motion earlier in the day, said, “I know you’re afraid of hearing from the whistleblower.”
The committee voted along party lines to table the motion.
The impeachment inquiry was sparked after the whistleblower’s complaint about President Donald Trump’s July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The complaint alleged Trump pressured the Ukrainian leader to investigate Joe Biden's family.