Intelligence panel Democrat: ‘I think we will end up calling’ some witnesses on GOP list

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that some witnesses requested by Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) would likely be called in the House’s impeachment inquiry.

“I can’t speak for the chairman, but I think we will end up calling some of the witnesses on that list and here’s my test: Do these witnesses have important … knowledge or evidence about the president’s conduct?” Maloney told Fox’s Chris Wallace.

{mosads}Maloney said three of the names mentioned by Wallace would not meet that requirement: former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, former Fusion GPS independent contractor Nellie Ohr and the whistleblower whose complaint prompted the inquiry.

Maloney said it was vital that the whistleblower remain anonymous to protect their safety.

In the case of Hunter Biden, Maloney asked rhetorically: “What information would Hunter Biden have” about President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

“He has no knowledge of what the president did or didn’t do… there are certainly questions but it isn’t relevant to this week’s hearing,” Maloney added.

Maloney also said “there are witnesses on the Republican list who have been interviewed in depositions already,” citing former Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and top White House Ukraine aide Tim Morrison as some that should testify publicly.

Wallace, meanwhile, pressed Maloney on the tight timeline for the inquiry, which House leadership has said they intend to complete by the end of the year, and how that would affect the court battle over whether former national security advisor John Bolton would be compelled to testify.

“We would love to have Mr. Bolton’s evidence, there’s nothing preventing him from giving it,” Maloney responded.

Wallace also asked whether, since transcripts of several of the closed-door depositions are already available, “Is the argument that people aren’t going to read the book but they’re going to see the movie, because that didn’t work out very well in the [special counsel] Robert Mueller testimony?”

“The point is that the Republicans have been demanding for weeks that the public be able to see this testimony, so they should take ‘yes’ for an answer,” Maloney responded, urging viewers to “make up your own minds.”