Facebook to ban naming whistleblower

Facebook says it is deleting the name of the person who has been identified in conservative circles as the whistleblower who triggered a congressional impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s actions.

The company said Friday that mention of the potential whistleblower’s name violates Facebook’s “coordinating harm policy” but that it will revisit this decision if the name is widely published in the media or used by public figures in debate.

On Twitter, though, the alleged whistleblower’s name circulated widely Friday. The company does not have a policy against identifying whistleblowers by name and is not removing the posts.

Some of the stories identifying the person came from far-right site Breitbart, which Facebook counts as a news partner in a newly launched news section on its app.

U.S. whistleblower laws exist to protect the identity and careers of people who bring forward accusations of wrongdoing by government officials. Lawmakers in both parties have historically backed those protections.

Jordan joins committee

Oversight ranking member Jim Jordan will serve on the Intelligence Committee during public impeachment proceedings, temporarily replacing GOP Rep. Rick Crawford, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Friday.

The Ohio Republican has been leading in the closeddoor impeachment inquiry depositions that have been conducted jointly by the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs panels. Under procedures the House passed Oct. 31, the Intelligence Committee will be the sole panel participating in the public hearings.

Since Mr. Jordan has been leading Republicans’ defense of President Donald Trump in the closed witness interviews, GOP leadership wants to ensure he also has a role in the public questioning.

Based on the announcement, it appears ranking member Devin Nunes will stay in his post as the top Republican. If that’s the case, it will be Mr. Nunes, not Mr. Jordan, who is leading the Republican portions of the public hearings.

Steve Bannon testifies

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said in court on Friday that he and the Trump campaign viewed Roger Stone, a longtime Donald Trump associate, as an access point to WikiLeaks, the organization that leaked stolen emails that were damaging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Mr. Bannon said that during the 2016 campaign, Mr. Stone “implied” WikiLeaks had materials that would help Mr. Trump and possibly hurt Hillary Clinton’s chance at the presidency.

With his 40-minute testimony, Mr. Bannon became the most high-profile witness to testify at Mr. Stone’s trial. He made clear in his testimony and to reporters as he left the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., that he was only appearing because he had been compelled to by a subpoena.

Mr. Stone faces charges that include lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing justice. He has pleaded not guilty.

Bloomberg files in Ala.

Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork Friday to place himself on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in Alabama, advisers said, a first step toward competing for the party’s nomination to challenge President Donald Trump next year.

Advisers to Mr. Bloomberg said that he had not made a final decision about whether to run for president and that he entered the Alabama primary as a preliminary step because Friday was the deadline for candidates seeking to appear on the 2020 ballot.