Politics Foreign Affairs Culture Fellows Program

John Roberts Censors Rand Paul’s Question

Asking questions during an impeachment trail is usually allowed for senators. So why is Paul an exception?
John Roberts

Senator Rand Paul had his question blocked by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during the Senate impeachment hearings Wednesday night and Thursday. After a day of unsuccessful arguments behind-the-scenes, Paul eventually took his frustrations to Twitter.

Wednesday night, Paul was heard becoming heated on the floor as his question was ignored. And he got nowhere forcing the issue Thursday.

On Twitter, Paul’s spokesman Sergio Gor said Paul is insistent on asking his question because the “American people deserve to know how this all came about.”

“Paul believes it is crucial the American people get the full story on what started the Democrats’ push to impeach President Donald Trump,” his office said in a statement.

On Twitter, Paul revealed his question:

“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 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.”

Roberts will not read out loud a question that names the whistleblower, an unnamed source said. Sources confirm that it is not GOP leadership blocking the question, but Roberts himself.

Ultimately this may mean that although senators are supposed to be able to ask questions by sending them up to Roberts to read, Paul’s may not be asked.

“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,” Paul tweeted after a day without success getting his question asked. “My question is not about a ‘whistleblower’ as I have no independent information on his identity.”

Other senators’ questions, which included details of the whistleblowers’ identity, were read aloud. Senators Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), and Josh Hawley (Mo.) asked for details on who the whistleblower might have worked with, and Cruz, Hawley and Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) asked the House managers if the whistleblower had ever worked for former vice president Joe Biden.

Only Paul’s question has been blocked, according to a source.

×

Donate to The American Conservative Today

This is not a paywall!

Your support helps us continue our mission of providing thoughtful, independent journalism. With your contribution, we can maintain our commitment to principled reporting on the issues that matter most.

Donate Today:

Donate to The American Conservative Today