The Trump-Ukraine “whistle-blower” likely won’t testify, according to a new report from the Washington Examiner. This comes on the heels of his legal team threatening news outlets from speculating or reporting on the identity of the person who kicked off the latest round of impeachment fever.

The whistleblower, whose complaint launched impeachment proceedings against @realDonaldTrump, is unlikely to testify to Congress, as talks have ceased between his legal team and @RepAdamSchiff's staff. https://t.co/MCmUh7UjVh

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 31, 2019

A source familiar with the discussions told the Washington Examiner that talks halted over potential testimony from the whistleblower and there is no discussion of testimony from a second whistleblower, who supported the first’s claims.

“There is no indication that either of the original whistleblowers will be called to testify or appear before the Senate or House Intelligence committees. There is no further discussion ongoing between the legal team and the committees,” the person said.

While some are spinning this as “talks breaking down,” the obvious indication here is that Adam Schiff, being the underhanded actor he is, has decided it does not benefit him to have the whistle-blower appear before Congress in any forum. The latest reports are alleging it is Eric Ciaramella, an Obama holdover who was later moved from the White House after suspicions of leaking. Because no one is ever punished for anything in Washington, he simply ended up back at the CIA. Ciaramella also has ties to Joe Biden and John Brennan, which is probably the least shocking part of all this.

Oddly enough, I’m old enough to remember when Adam Schiff assured the American people that the whistle-blower would testify.

https://twitter.com/alx/status/1190067978559197187

What changed? News that Schiff and his staff had coordinated with the whistle-blower is the most likely explanation. All the sudden, Schiff decided it was no longer important to hear from the source of the complaint, coincidentally protecting himself and the whistle-blower from having to comment on their coordination under oath. That, along with the aforementioned biases, have provided ample reason for Schiff to punt on the entire thing.

And who can blame him? It’s not like the media are going to hold him accountable.

There is something that could be done though. Given we almost certainly know the whistle-blower’s identity now, there’s absolutely nothing stopping Lindsey Graham from calling Eric Ciaramella to testify in the Senate. Will he do that? Nah, of course he won’t. Graham has been great at talking the talk on TV, but when it comes to using the power Republicans have given him to get answers, he’s been largely absent.

Republicans can either start using all the tools at their disposal or they can slink away and lose in 2020, and if that happens, it won’t just be Trump losing power. It’s their choice.

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