On Sunday, President Trump expressed his wishes to meet the whistleblower whose complaint has led to a series of controversial headlines an opening of an official impeachment inquiry. However, a letter, released to the public on Monday but dated September 8, signed by the whistleblower’s lead attorney, Andrew P. Bakaj, states that the whistleblower’s legal team has “serious concerns” that Trump’s comments have endangered their client’s life.
Third-Hand Information
On Sunday, Trump claimed that the whistleblower had incorrectly interpreted the call between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, saying that he wished to know who gave the whistleblower “SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION.”
“Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially when this accuser, the so-called ‘Whistleblower,’ represented a perfect conversation with a foreign leader in a totally inaccurate and fraudulent way,” said Trump on Sunday evening.
Trump also noted that Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, should be questioned for “treason” because of how he misread the phone call in a hearing on Thursday. Schiff paraphrased the transcript: “I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you, though, and I’m going to say this only seven times, so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand? Lots of it.” [1]
Schiff later remarked that his summary was a parody of the call, “the fact that that’s not clear is a separate problem in and of itself,” he said.
“His lies were made in perhaps the most blatant and sinister manner ever seen in the great Chamber,” Trump said. “He wrote down and read terrible things, then said it was from the mouth of the President of the United States.”
Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially when this accuser, the so-called “Whistleblower,” represented a perfect conversation with a foreign leader in a totally inaccurate and fraudulent way. Then Schiff made up what I actually said by lying to Congress……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2019
….In addition, I want to meet not only my accuser, who presented SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION, but also the person who illegally gave this information, which was largely incorrect, to the “Whistleblower.” Was this person SPYING on the U.S. President? Big Consequences!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2019
Meet the Whistleblower
Schiff announced on Sunday that the whistleblower had agreed to testify before Congress. However, Bakaj, the whistleblower’s lead lawyer, wrote a letter to acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire, addressing Trump’s recent remarks about finding the whistleblower.
Bakaj said that he has “serious concerns” regarding his “client’s personal safety.” [2]
Although Trump was referring to the source when he made the statements that Bakaj was referencing, Bakaj wrote that the distinction “does nothing to assuage our concerns for our client’s safety,” as well as claiming that “certain individuals” had placed a $50,000 bounty out for the whistleblower’s identity.
Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, two Trump supporters, have issued a statement saying that they will pay money for “information relating to the identity of the ‘Trump Whistleblower,’” but they are unaffiliated with the president or his administration. [3]
Notes:
- ^“Trump demands to meet whistleblower and leakers of his Ukraine call.” POLITICO, 30 Sept. 2019, www.politico.com/news/2019/09/29/trump-ukraine-whistleblower-schiff-011137. (go back ↩)
- ^Compass Rose Letter https://compassrosepllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019_0928_-Correspondence-to-DNI.pdf (go back ↩)
- ^“$50K reward offered to out Trump whistleblower.” Washington Examiner, 26 Sept. 2019, www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/50-000-reward-offered-to-out-trump-whistleblower. (go back ↩)
