House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton HoyerHouse to vote on resolution affirming peaceful transition of power On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Vulnerable Democrats tell Pelosi COVID-19 compromise 'essential' MORE (D-Md.) is denouncing efforts by Republicans to win testimony in the impeachment probe from the whistleblower whose report triggered the House inquiry.

Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, called the efforts "despicable."

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President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE and congressional Republicans have been pushing to out the whistleblower, who remains anonymous, and demand the individual's testimony.

"There is no need for this whistleblower, period," Hoyer told reporters in the Capitol. "And every time Republicans continue to harp on the whistleblower is simply and solely and clearly an attempt to not only intimidate this whistleblower, but to intimidate others from coming forward. I think it's despicable."



Hoyer also pointed to Trump's reported comments at a September event with diplomatic officials that the whistleblower is a "spy" who might have committed treason.



"There are criminal statutes which prohibit people from trying to intimidate witnesses," Hoyer added.



Democrats say that the whistleblower's testimony is unnecessary at this point given that they've been able to secure testimony from more than a dozen witnesses corroborating the original complaint.



GOP lawmakers displayed a poster at Wednesday's hearing accusing Schiff of knowing the whistleblower's identity, following a New York Times report that the whistleblower approached a member of his staff before filing the complaint.



Schiff has said he does not know the whistleblower's identity.