GOP planning all-out attack on whistleblower and more 'stunts' during public impeachment hearings: report

According to a report from the Daily Beast, Republican House members who failed in their attempt to derail the private impeachment hearings are gearing up their attack machine for the public hearings on Donald Trump after the House voted to proceed last week.

Now that Republicans have had their "process" complaints about secrecy taken away with the move to open hearings, they are planning an all-out assault to disrupt the hearings in any way they can.

"According to GOP lawmakers and aides, the party’s game plan includes calling for witnesses who could bolster their narrative and hammering away at the anonymous whistleblower whose account launched the inquiry in the first place," the Beast reports. "They’re also holding out the possibility of more tactics to disrupt impeachment—like last week’s stunt to shut down the inquiry’s secure hearing room. Lawmakers are also likely to release a report when the probe is concluded to counter the report the Democratic majority will release to form the basis for impeachment."

The report notes that the leaders of the revolt are likely to be the usual suspects: Reps. Doug Collins (R-GA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Mark Meadows (R-NC), and Jim Jordan (R-OH).

According to former GOP lawmaker Jack Kingston, the House Republicans need to do all they can to derail the impeachment of Donald Trump.

“Everyone was an activist during the Clinton thing on the Democratic side,” explained Kingston, “Everybody needs to get off the bench and start talking about it.”

According to Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), the focus will be on exposing the whistleblower, with the Beast noting that Republicans will have no problem with calling in friends and associates of the government employee in a search for dirt.

“I mean, we have to know, were laws broken, what was the motivation, who did they talk to? What was the method of transmission?” said Perry, “These are important factors. And we have to count on, at this point, Chairman Schiff to reveal that person. He's the one of all of us who knows.”

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) agreed.

"If the GOP were able to call in witnesses—even for a day— 'we would have a long list, a long line out there,' said Meadows. 'I think a number of the people that the whistleblower spoke to before he fired up about his complaint should be perfect witnesses to come in.'" the Beast reports.

Adding that the GOP will also try and make former Vice President Joe Biden a talking point during the hearings, Kingston said that Republicans will be pulling out all the stops.

“For now,” said Kingston, “the House needs to keep pounding and pounding on the process.”

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