Chief Justice John Roberts shut down Republican demands to name the Ukraine whistleblower and it could spark a major standoff

Saul Loeb via AP, Pool

Chief Justice John Roberts arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, for the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.

• Chief Justice John Roberts, who's presiding over President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, refused to read aloud a question from GOP Sen. Rand Paul that named the Ukraine whistleblower.
• This comes after some Republicans, including Trump, have spent months pushing to reveal the whistleblower's identity, despite legal protections afforded to whistleblowers.
• Both Democrats and some prominent Republicans have insisted that the whistleblower must be kept anonymous in order to protect the person from inevitable death threats and other forms of retaliation.
• Paul expressed private frustration on Wednesday night, saying he'll continue pushing the issue, according to a CNN report.
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Chief Justice John Roberts, who's presiding over President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, refused on Wednesday to read aloud a question from GOP Sen. Rand Paul that named the Ukraine whistleblower, multiple news outlets reported.

This comes after some Republicans, including Trump, have spent months pushing to reveal the whistleblower's identity, despite the fact that government whistleblowers are protected from retaliation by federal law. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the whistleblower, saying the person "hates Trump."

The whistleblower's identity has not been publicly verified beyond the fact that he or she is a member of the intelligence community. Both Democrats and some prominent Republicans have insisted that the whistleblower must be kept anonymous in order to protect the person from inevitable death threats and other forms of retaliation if his or her identity were revealed.

Paul expressed private frustration on Wednesday night, saying he'll continue pushing the issue, according to a CNN report.

"If I have to fight for recognition, I will," Paul reportedly told a GOP staffer.

On Wednesday, senators began a two day-long 16-hour period of submitting written questions to the prosecution and the defense. Roberts reads those questions aloud.

The whistleblower lodged a formal complaint in August containing a series of allegations, including that White House officials were "deeply disturbed" by a phone call between Trump and the president of Ukraine during which Trump pressured his counterpart to announce investigations that could benefit Trump politically.

The complaint alleged that the White House had subsequently engaged in a cover-up. You can read the full details of the complaint and a timeline here.

Shona Ghosh contributed to this report.

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