House

Schiff hopes whistleblower will testify ‘very soon’

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday that a deal has been reached for the whistleblower who filed a complaint that helped launch the impeachment inquiry into President Trump to testify on Capitol Hill, adding that he hopes it will happen “very soon.’ 

Schiff said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the whistleblower will testify, adding that he doesn’t know the person’s identity. 

“And I hope very soon,” Schiff said. {mosads}

Schiff said all “that needs to be done at this point” is to make sure the attorneys that represent the whistleblower get clearance to accompany them and that logistics are in place to protect the person.

The whistleblower alleges Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 candidate. 

The complaint also alleges the Trump administration hid transcripts of the call on highly classified servers. 

Rudy Giuliani, acting as the president’s personal attorney, is a key player in the complaint. 

Schiff on Sunday left the door open for Giuliani to testify. 

“I don’t want to commit myself to that at this point,” he said of calling Giuliani to testify. “We certainly have to do a lot of work to see what Giuliani has been doing in Ukraine.”

“Whether it will be productive to bring him in, we will make that decision down the road.”

Giuliani said earlier on ABC’s “This Week” that he would testify if Trump directs him to.

He also called Schiff an “illegitimate chairman.”

–This report was updated at 12:48 p.m.