After Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read a question posted by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) during the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump, because it used the name “Eric Ciaramella,” prominent Democrats called for the Kentucky senator’s immediate arrest.
In the impeachment trial, President Trump’s defense as well as those prosecuting the case are permitted to provide written questions to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who then chooses whether to read the question aloud or not.
Paul asked a question about the relationship between holdovers in the intelligence community from President Barack Obama’s administration and the current case against President Trump, specifically mentioning Eric Ciaramella’s involvement with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
John Roberts declines to answer Rand Paul's question, presumably because he was trying to out the whistleblower or some such. Things off to a great start during Thursday's installment of the #ImpeachmentTrial. pic.twitter.com/sGNCRHwBCw
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2020
“My question today is about whether or not individuals who were holdovers from the Obama National Security Council and Democrat partisans conspired with Schiff staffers to plot impeaching the President before there were formal House impeachment proceedings,” wrote Paul on Twitter.
Since his question was not read, Paul then wrote his question in a tweet.
“Are you aware that House intelligence committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with Eric Ciaramella while at the National Security Council together,” the senator tried to ask.
My exact question was:
Are you aware that House intelligence committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with Eric Ciaramella while at the National Security Council together 1/2
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 30, 2020
Paul continued, “And are you aware and how do you respond to reports that Ciaramella and Misko may have worked together to plot impeaching the President before there were formal house impeachment proceedings.”
and are you aware and how do you respond to reports that Ciaramella and Misko may have worked together to plot impeaching the President before there were formal house impeachment proceedings. 2/2
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 30, 2020
Paul later held a press conference and read the question that Roberts refused to read.
“I can tell you that my question made no reference to any whistleblower,” said Paul, before reading the statement so it may officially be entered into the record.
“[The question] makes no reference to anyone who may or may not be a whistleblower,” said Paul. “The Manager Schiff says he has no knowledge, if he has no knowledge then the rest of us can have no knowledge of who the whistleblower is.”
“I think it’s very important whether or not a group of Democratic activists, part of the Obama-Biden administration, were working together for years, looking for an opportunity to impeach the president.”
This led to an outcry from prominent Democrats calling for Paul’s arrest, claiming that he named the alleged whistleblower.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for “serious sanctions” against Paul for naming the alleged whistleblower.
BREAKING: Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for "serious sanctions" against Sen. Rand Paul for his attempts to name the "whistleblower" in the Senate trial
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) January 30, 2020
The wife of one of the Krassenstein brothers called for Twitter to suspend Paul’s account, citing that Twitter “banned [her] husband for having secondary accounts to monitor threats to [their] family.”
BREAKING: Rand Paul just tweeted out the name of the alleged whistleblower, who is protected by US laws, to his 2.6 Million rabid followers.
Where is his ban @TwitterSupport ?
You literally banned my husband for having secondary accounts to monitor threats to our family.
— Ms. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) January 30, 2020
By 3 p.m., “#ArrestRandPaul” began trending on Twitter.
They are answering the phone at the Sergeant of Arms office 202-224-2341 and they will relay your wish to arrest Rand Paul. DO IT NOW! Call for his arrest! #ArrestRandPaul
— #ResistThisPresident (@SisResister) January 30, 2020
https://twitter.com/MooPersists/status/1222972523001741313
https://twitter.com/MBrodie13/status/1222961836225695745
Still, it remains unclear how these Twitter users and Democrats know the identity of the whistleblower. Paul did not claim to know that Ciaramella is the whistleblower, simply identifying him by his role in the government instead.
Paul noted, “My question is not about a ‘whistleblower’ as I have no independent information on his identity. My question is about the actions of known Obama partisans within the NSC and House staff and how they are reported to have conspired before impeachment proceedings had even begun.”
My question is not about a “whistleblower” as I have no independent information on his identity. My question is about the actions of known Obama partisans within the NSC and House staff and how they are reported to have conspired before impeachment proceedings had even begun.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 30, 2020
Doug Stafford, the Chief Strategist for Paul’s campaign, raised the question, “How does John Roberts know the name of the whistleblower?”
“We don’t. And the question wasn’t about that,” Stafford added.
Interesting question:
How does John Roberts know the name of the whistleblower?
We don’t. And the question wasn’t about that.
— Doug Stafford (@dougstafford) January 30, 2020
A source close to the senator confirmed to National File that “Rand’s questions have nothing to do with Inspector General process,” and that the senator sought to make no insinuation about Ciaramella being the whistleblower.
Facebook and Instagram began banning users who claimed Ciaramella was the whistleblower last year, as it was never independently verified that Ciaramella is the whistleblower.
However, it is confirmed that Ciaramella worked under President Obama, and that he had a relationship with Schiff’s staff during the Democrat representative’s efforts to start impeachment hearings against President Trump.
It remains unclear how those calling for disciplinary action against or the arrest of Paul have knowledge of the whistleblower’s identity.
Additionally, it is unclear if Roberts and Democrats have, unintentionally, confirmed that the whistleblower is Ciaramella.
