The first Ukraine whistleblower has offered through their legal team to answer congressional Republicans' Online Cigarettes Store USA written questions directly to them and under penalty of perjury, bypassing Democrats who control the impeachment process, attorney Mark Zaid confirmed to ABC News on Sunday.
Zaid said the original offer to answer written questions was to the full House Intelligence Committee, under the control of Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Republicans have complained about the unfairness of the closed-door depositions and impeachment process, with some suggesting the Newport Cigarettes Shop whistleblower's identity should be known so President Donald Trump can face his accuser.
"Now we have offered directly to the GOP. They have no excuses," Zaid told ABC News on Sunday.Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement Sunday evening that written answers would not be "sufficient."
"Written answers will not provide a sufficient opportunity to probe all the relevant facts and cross examine the so-called Cheap Newport 100s cigarettes Whistleblower," Jordan, from Ohio, said. "You don’t get to ignite an impeachment effort and never account for your actions and role in orchestrating it."
"We have serious questions about this individual’s political bias and partisan motivations and it seems Mark Zaid and Adam Schiff are attempting to hide these facts from public scrutiny," he continued. "Last week’s testimony raised even more concerns about the anonymous whistleblower and our need to hear from them, in person."