House Republicans ask for Hunter Biden and whistleblower to testify in impeachment probe - CNN International

In a letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Republicans listed the anonymous whistleblower, former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, former US special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker, high-raking State Department official David Hale and Tim Morrison, the top Russia and Europe adviser on the National Security Council.

The GOP also requested Nellie Ohr, a former Fusion GPS contractor, and Alexandra Chalupa, a former Democratic National Committee staffer, signaling that Republicans still want to focus on unsubstantiated claims related to the 2016 presidential campaign.

READ: House GOP's letter requesting witnesses to testify in impeachment probe

Democrats must approve any requests submitted by Republicans and they are expected to reject the requests for Hunter Biden and the whistleblower to appear.

CNN has reached out to attorneys for the whistleblower and Hunter Biden for comment.

In the letter, California Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, bashed what he called a "sham impeachment process." Nunes wrote that Republicans were calling the witnesses to testify in an open setting to "provide transparency to your otherwise opaque and unfair process."

The Biden presidential campaign declined to comment to CNN on the request for his son to testify. The former vice president was asked Friday in New Hampshire whether he would testify at a Senate impeachment trial if asked -- though Republicans have not yet made that request.

"Let's focus on the problem, here," Biden said. "The question is, did the President of the United states violate the Constitution ... And did he profit from his office." He again called on Trump to release his tax returns.

Impeachment hearings are set to begin next week as Democrats prepare to take their case against Trump to the public. The open hearings will be the first time the US hears directly from the officials at the center of allegations that Trump pushed Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and the 2016 election in order to help the President politically.

Transcripts depict Trump as fickle, susceptible to flattery and prone to grudges

Schiff has said three witnesses will testify next week: US diplomat Bill Taylor and State Department official George Kent will appear on Wednesday, and former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is set to testify Friday.

A review of more than 2,600 pages of transcripts released this week from eight witnesses who have testified in the House impeachment inquiry over the past six weeks shows how controversy over Trump's Ukraine policy had been brewing inside the US government for months.

It roiled efforts to bolster a key strategic alliance after Trump enlisted his own personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to work outside normal diplomatic channels in an apparent effort to bolster his reelection chances.

CNN's Jeremy Herb, Manu Raju and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.

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