Article snippet: Republicans are hunting for a boogeyman in the burgeoning impeachment fight as the party struggles to unify behind a single strategy. Facing growing headaches, Republicans are eager to shift the public’s focus toward politically safer territory —ranging from former Vice President MORE (D-Calif.) to a “rigged” impeachment process. The effort to find an alternative focal point comes as the party has been beset by political headaches this week, and largely remained silent on Trump’s suggestion that China open an investigation. The tactics have Republicans high-wiring between not defending Trump too forcefully on the specifics of his remarks but also needing to give the media, and the public, another potential punching bag. One of the biggest unifiers for Republicans has been Schiff, especially in the wake of The New York Times reporting that the whistleblower reached out to him before going to the intelligence community inspector general. “I think, with the Schiff story that just came out by New York Times, that's something we're absolutely going to pounce on,” one senior GOP aide told The Hill in discussing the conference’s messaging strategy. Rep. MORE (R-Texas) told reporters that the inspector general provided “no information about the contact between the HPSCI majority and the whistleblower prior to his involvement….It’s entirely inappropriate and Chairman Schiff should be disqualified.” Trump quickly seized on a tweet from Ratcliffe making a similar poin... Link to the full article to read more