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Whistleblower's attorney called for impeachment in 2017, tweeting 'A coup has started'; Trump says Dems must pay for their 'hoaxes'
An attorney representing the whistleblower at the center of House Democrats' formal impeachment inquiry is under fire for January 2017 tweets in which he wrote "a coup has started" in the "first of many steps" and promised that "impeachment will follow ultimately."
Then, in July 2017, Mark Zaid remarked on Twitter, "I predict @CNN will play a key role in @realDonaldTrump not finishing out his full term as president." Also that month, Zaid tweeted, "We will get rid of him, and this country is strong enough to survive even him and his supporters."
Zaid's tweets fuel Republican concerns that the anonymous whistleblower's complaint is tainted with partisanship and part of a longtime conspiracy to remove Trump from office. Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats and partisans in the intelligence community of effectively plotting a coup against him, through selective leaks and lengthy investigations.
President Donald speaks at a campaign rally in Monroe, La., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The president, at a campaign rally in Louisiana on Wednesday night, quoted extensively from Fox News' earlier article about Zaid's tweets and suggested it proves that Democrats' impeachment push is all a "hoax" and a "scam."
"Democrats must be accountable for their hoaxes and their crimes," Trump said, holding a printout of the Fox News piece. Click here for more on our top story.
Trump-Ukraine House impeachment inquiry to start 'open hearings' Nov. 13
The House Intelligence Committee will hold its first open hearings next week as part of the formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, featuring current and former officials with knowledge of the Ukraine controversy. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., made the announcement on Twitter.
The first public hearing, scheduled for next Wednesday, will feature William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. He has already testified behind closed doors that the president in his July 25 phone call pushed Ukraine to investigate election interference, former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and their Ukrainian dealings — and that he was told U.S. military aid and a White House meeting were used as leverage to get a public announcement from Kiev that the probes were underway. That phone call was the basis of the whistleblower's complaint that started House Democrats' impeachment push.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., responds to reporters at the Capitol after he threatened to reveal the name of the Ukraine whistleblower who helped initiate the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump by providing details of Trump's call with the Ukrainian president, in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Schiff's announcement came as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Wednesday blocked a resolution to reaffirm whistleblower protections, accusing Democrats of “selective outrage.” Paul suggested that Democrats drop their resolution and instead pass legislation that he introduced earlier that day that would “make clear” that President Trump should be able to face the whistleblower. Democrats did not oblige, so he objected to their bill.
Los Angeles Times office in Los Angeles. LA Times has been published since 1881.
LA Times accused of 'blaming' Mexican cartel massacre victims for their own deaths
The Los Angeles Times faced fierce backlash for its coverage of the nine Americans murdered by a Mexican drug cartel this week after a report highlighted the family's "long history of violence." At least six children and three women living in a faith-based community of U.S. citizens in Mexico were shot to death Monday in the northern part of the country, and six more children were wounded after their convoy came under fire during a brazen daylight ambush believed to have been carried out by gunmen affiliated with cartels.
All the victims are believed to be members of the extended LeBaron family, who have lived in a religious community in La Mora, northern Mexico, a decades-old settlement in Sonora state founded as part of an offshoot of a religious community around 70 miles south of Douglas, Ariz. However, the California newspaper ran a report on Monday headlined, "U.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence," which detailed the community's tragic past with the cartels. That sparked a firestorm of criticism on social media.
FILE - This July 9, 2019, file photo shows a sign outside of the Twitter office building in San Francisco. The Saudi government recruited two Twitter employees to get personal account information of their critics, prosecutors said Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Two Twitter employees recruited by Saudi Arabia in alleged spy plot, prosecutors say
The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for the Saudi government, marking the first time federal prosecutors have publicly accused Saudis of spying in the United States. The charges, unveiled Wednesday in San Francisco, detailed an effort by Saudi officials to recruit employees at the social media company to look up the private data of thousands of Twitter accounts whose users were critics of the Saudi government. Click here for more.
First lady Melania Trump, left, speak with pediatrician Eileen Costello, front right, as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, behind center, looks on during a visit to Boston Medical Center, in Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)
Melania Trump's hospital visit to sick babies draws protests
First lady Melania Trump visited a Boston hospital Wednesday to meet with caregivers and administrators of a pioneering program that uses cuddling to help infants who are born dependent on drugs or alcohol.
Outside Boston Medical Center in the city's South End, as many as 200 workers protested the visit, saying the first lady represented an administration who they say has discouraged immigrants from seeking health care with tough immigration policies. Some carried signs reading "BMC cares for all patients" and "We believe that healthy women = healthy families = healthy society."
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SOME PARTING WORDS
Sean Hannity calls whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid a "despicable" Trump-hater and says it is time to put Rep. Adam Schiff and Joe and Hunter Biden "under oath."
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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Enjoy your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Friday morning.
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