U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner said the whistleblower who first reported that President Trump asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden should appear at a congressional hearing and testify in public.
“I’d like to hear some facts. Not hearsay, but facts,” Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, said in an interview aired Sunday on “UpFront,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com.
Sensenbrenner, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, has asked for a minority day in the House impeachment proceedings. A minority day, which Sensenbrenner said is allowed under the rules, would permit Republicans to call their own witnesses.
“UpFront” host Matt Smith asked Sensenbrenner which witnesses he would call.
“I’d like to call the whistleblower, who really does not fall under the whistleblower protection statute, as it was written and passed by Congress a number of years ago,” Sensenbrenner said.
“This is what started it all, and I think we’re going to have to have the whistleblower be publicly questioned before Congress, what he knows, how he knows it, how he found it out, whether it’s direct evidence, or whether it’s hearsay evidence,” Sensenbrenner said.
Sensenbrenner also said Republicans want to call Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, and the inspector general of the intelligence community.
Sensenbrenner said it’s up to Democratic House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to schedule a minority day.
“If it’s scheduled after the fact, I think that this shows that he does not want to have an alternative view presented,” Sensenbrenner said.
Sensenbrenner also called the impeachment proceedings a waste of time and taxpayer money and predicted that Trump would not be removed from office via impeachment and Senate trial.
Also on the program, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers acknowledged that the gun reform bills he championed will not pass the Republican-controlled Legislature, adding he wanted to find areas of “common ground” with lawmakers.
Evers was interviewed by Smith after officer-involved shootings at two Wisconsin high schools last week. In Waukesha and Oshkosh, police officers shot students who confronted them with weapons.
“It takes your breath away,” said Evers, who led the state Department of Public Instruction before he became governor.
Evers tried to force Republicans to take up new gun laws, including a red flag law, in special session, but Republicans gaveled in and gaveled out within seconds.
“The bills are still out there. I still support them. But I’m a realist also. I witnessed what happened last time around. But if the Legislature wants to take them up, I’ll be more than happy to help them get them passed. In the meantime, we’re focusing on issues that we can find common ground on. At least I am, and I think they will too,” Evers said.
Evers said doing some work on mental health issues might be an area of common ground with Republicans.
See more from the program:
http://www.wisn.com/upfront
