House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave very strict orders to the President not to “intimidate” the whistle-blower who sparked the House impeachment inquiry into him – telling Trump that he was in her “wheelhouse” if he attempted to go after the anonymous source.
“I will make sure he does not intimidate the whistle-blower,” Nancy Pelosi said during an interview on CBS’ “Face The Nation.” “I told the president you’re in my wheelhouse when you come after the whistle-blower.”
Pelosi’s words come as the House Intelligence Committee is in the midst of public hearings with officials about President Trump’s July 25 phone call with the Ukrainian President where he asked him to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son over their business dealings in the eastern European nation.
The Democrats argue that there is evidence of “quid pro quo” during the phone call and that the President made the release of military aid to Ukraine contingent on Kiev investigating Biden – one of Trump’s main 2020 political challengers – and his son. Hunter Biden was on the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm, Burisma Holdings, which in 2015 was subject to an investigation by Ukrainian officials, as Fox News reported.
The whistle-blower complaint, which concerned the purported “quid pro quo” Trump laid out in the phone call, sparked the impeachment inquiry and the president has since been highly critical of the unnamed person – questioning his credibility and asking for the disclosure of the person’s name.
Earlier this month, President Trump also called on the media to find out and disseminate the name of the whistle-blower – prompting the person’s lawyers to send a cease-and-desist letter to the White House.
Nancy Pelosi said it was of utmost importance to protect the whistle-blower’s identity given President Trump’s attacks.
“This is really important, especially when it comes to intelligence, that someone who would be courageous enough to point out truth to power and then through the filter of a Trump-appointed inspector general who found it of urgent concern and then took it to the next steps,” she said.
Pelosi added that if the President wanted to present his case, he should come before House lawmakers.
“The president could come right before the committee and talk, speak all the truth that he wants if he wants. He has every opportunity to present his case.”