Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., speaks at a news conference in front of House Republicans after Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper arrived for a closed-door meeting to testify as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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Republicans push for public testimony from whistleblower after storming closed-door impeachment session
Hours after dozens of Republicans stormed a closed-door deposition in a secure area and disrupted Democrats' Trump impeachment inquiry, top House GOP leaders pushed Democrats for more transparency, including public testimony from the whistleblower at the center of the probe. In an initial letter Wednesday to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Republican lawmakers Jim Jordan of Ohio, Devin Nunes of California and Michael McCaul of Texas pushed for the whistleblower to come out of hiding so that his or her "sources and credibility" can be "fully assessed." (Click here to read the letter.)
The three Republicans noted that Schiff had previously promised the whistleblower would provide "unfiltered" testimony "very soon" concerning an Aug. 12 complaint. But, the Republicans charged, Schiff "reversed course" after reports of the whistleblower's potential political bias surfaced. Click here for more on our top story.
Click here for a detailed account of House Republicans' storming of Wednesday's impeachment session.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff of Calif. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
More anti-Trump bias allegations possible, whistleblower acknowledges, sources say
The whistleblower at the center of Democrats' impeachment inquiry acknowledged to the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) that bias against President Trump might be alleged against him or her for a third, previously unreported reason, sources told Fox News. However, the nature of this alleged potential bias remains unclear.
Fox News has previously reported the whistleblower is a registered Democrat and had a prior work history with a senior Democrat. The whistleblower has insisted the complaint was not politically motivated, Fox News is told. Critics note, however, that the whistleblower met with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s staff before the complaint was formally filed Aug. 12. Click here for more.
Trump announces 'permanent cease-fire' in Syria between Turkey and Kurds; lifts sanctions on Ankara
President Trump announced Wednesday that conditions have been met between Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for what he called a "permanent cease-fire" between the two sides and that the United States was lifting sanctions on Ankara that were implemented following the invasion of northern Syria. Speaking at the White House, Trump said that while a "permanent cease-fire" will be tough to maintain in the volatile region, he hopes it will last and end the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds.
Trump delivered the statement amid bipartisan criticism over his recent decision to pull back U.S. forces from northern Syria, opening the door for Turkey to launch a military offensive. The president said that nearly all U.S. troops will be leaving Syria but some will remain to safeguard oil fields there. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally who vehemently opposed the president’s troop-withdrawal plan, said he prayed the cease-fire will hold and pleaded with Trump on Wednesday to listen to his military commanders and not "policy-shop civilians" regarding the ongoing conflict in Syria.
$700M opioid treatment settlement reached by 6 states
New York state and five others reached a $700 million settlement Wednesday with drug distributor Reckitt Benckiser following a probe into the company’s role in the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James. The $700 million payment is a part of a larger $1.4 billion settlement that had been agreed upon back in July over allegations that the drug distributor had improperly advertised a drug to treat opioid addiction. Claims against Reckitt Benckiser's former pharmaceuticals business, Indivior, allege that the company carried out an “illegal scheme” to boost the sales of Suboxone, an opioid addiction treatment drug.
Rep. Elijah Cummings to 'lie in state' in Capitol's Statuary Hall
The late Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., will “lie in state” Thursday in Statuary Hall of the Capitol ahead of his funeral in Baltimore on Friday. Lawmakers from both parties are set to speak in remembrance of the House Oversight Committee chairman at a Statuary Hall arrival ceremony Thursday morning, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton reportedly will speak at Cummings' funeral on Friday.
Cummings, a longtime congressman, civil rights leader and frequent foe of President Trump, died Oct. 17 at age 68 after complications from longstanding health problems.
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