Rand Paul reveals question blocked by Chief Justice Roberts

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on the Senate floor. (screenshot)

After Chief Justice John Roberts blocked his question about the whistleblower at the center of the impeachment case, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., posted it on Twitter.

Paul, who was reported to be angered by Robert's action, may try to force the issue during the question-and-answer session Thursday afternoon, Fox News reported.

But on Thursday morning, he posted the question on Twitter, explaining his query was "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."

Roberts, who is reading the questions submitted by the senators, initially sought to block any question related to the whistleblower, the Federalist reported. When Republicans threatened a vote to rebuke Roberts, according to the report, the chief justice retreated and decided only to ban mentioning the whistleblower's name.

Investigative reporter Paul Sperry has reported it's an open secret in Washington that that the whistleblower is CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella. Lawyers for the whistleblower have not made an outright denial that their client is Ciaramella.

Republicans have argued the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act of 1998 requires only that the inspector general not disclose the whistleblower's name. It does not stop a member of Congress, the president or anyone else from identifying a whistleblower.

But Paul says his question isn't necessarily about a "whistleblower," explaining he has 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," he wrote on Twitter.

Paul's 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?"

Roll Call reporter Niels Lesniewski said Paul was fuming during a break in the trial Wednesday.

"I don't want to have to stand up to try and fight for recognition," Paul shouted, according to Lesniewski. "If I have to fight for recognition, I will."

Ciaramella, Misko angered by 'America First'

Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., initially said the whistleblower would testify in the Senate trial. But Schiff changed his mind after he was caught falsely stating his office had no interaction with the whistleblower before the complaint was filed. And since Sperry reported the whistleblower is Ciaramella, the CIA analyst's political bias and connections have been scrutinized.

Sperry reported last week that just two weeks after Trump took office, Ciaramella was overheard in the White House discussing with Misko how to remove Trump, according to former colleagues.

Ciaramella and Misko -- who later joined Schiff's staff -- were Obama administration holdovers working in the Trump White House on foreign policy and national security issues. Both, Sperry reported, expressed anger over Trump's new "America First" foreign policy, a dramatic change from President Obama's approach to international affairs.

Meanwhile, whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid wrote on Twitter in 2017 that a "coup" had begun against the president. At that time he also called for intelligence community members to help impeach and "get rid" of Trump.

Zaid also acknowledged the whistleblower had contact with a prominent Democratic presidential contender, which has been reported to be Joe Biden.

The Democrats' articles of impeachment against Trump center on the claim that Trump withheld aid to pressure Ukraine to help dig up dirt on Biden, a political rival.

The White House argues the aid was delivered and there was a legitimate public interest in Ukraine assisting with an investigation of the conflict of interest in Hunter Biden -- with no relevant experience -- receiving $1 million a year from a Ukrainian firm under investigation for corruption while his father was Obama's point man for Ukraine policy.