News and Commentary

Trump Rejects Whistleblower’s Written Answer Offer, Nearly Reveals Alleged Identity

   DailyWire.com
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. According to economic models, an enduring U.S. expansion puts President Donald Trump on course to win re-election in 2020. Photographer: Erin Scott/Polaris/Bloomberg
Erin Scott/Polaris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

On Sunday, an attorney representing the whistleblower whose complaint about President Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry announced that his client is willing to answer Republicans’ questions — but only in written form. President Trump, who came close to outing the alleged identity of the whistleblower Sunday, emphatically rejected the whistleblower’s offer early Monday.

“The Whistleblower gave false information and dealt with corrupt politician [Adam] Schiff,” Trump tweeted Monday (formatting adjusted). “He must be brought forward to testify. Written answers not acceptable!”

“Where is the 2nd Whistleblower?” Trump added in reference to reports that an alleged “second whistleblower” was supposedly going to testify. “He disappeared after I released the transcript. Does he even exist? Where is the informant? Con!”

Trump’s rejection of the whistleblower’s offer followed a pair of impeachment-themed tweets. “Mark Levin, a great lawyer and scholar, said last night on his Mark Levin Show, that all you have to do is read the transcript of the call, you do not need Never Trumpers or other witnesses to say what it means or says. It is plainly and very well stated for all to see. Witch Hunt,” Trump tweeted about an hour before his whistleblower tweet. “What I said on the phone call with the Ukrainian President is ‘perfectly’ stated. There is no reason to call witnesses to analyze my words and meaning. This is just another Democrat Hoax that I have had to live with from the day I got elected (and before!). Disgraceful!”

On Sunday, Mark Zaid, one of the high-profile attorneys representing the whistleblower, announced via Twitter that his client is willing to answer questions from Republicans, but on one condition. “Our legal team offered GOP direct opportunity to ask written questions of whistleblower,” Zaid tweeted Sunday (formatting adjusted). “Recent GOP messaging, led by President Trump (incl this morning), has been to highlight original whistleblower and demand disclosure of identity.”

“Despite long standing policy of [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] to protect whistleblowers, especially anonymity (by the way, this was consistent with my efforts with GOP on Benghazi), GOP has sought to expose our client’s identity which could jeopardize their safety, as well as that of their family,” he continued. “We have directly engaged GOP as to the irrelevance of the whistleblower’s information and identity (including addressing any issue of bias), but with little effect in halting the attacks. By the way, countless OIG complaints are filed anonymously and full of hearsay. It’s common.”

“We offered HPSCI (& SSCI), both Majority and Minority, to have whistleblower answer questions in writing, under oath and penalty of perjury,” Said explained. “Obviously, per House rules GOP is beholden to Democrats. We, however, are not. Being a whistleblower is not a partisan job nor is impeachment an objective. That is not our role.”

“So we have offered to Devin Nunes, Ranking HPSCI Member, opportunity for Minority to submit through legal team written questions to whistleblower,” the attorney concluded. “Questions cannot seek identifying info, regarding which we will not provide, or otherwise be inappropriate. We will ensure timely answers. We stand ready to cooperate and ensure facts — rather than partisanship — dictates any process involving the whistleblower.”

As Politico reports, Trump edged closer Sunday to revealing the alleged identity of the whistleblower, which RealClearInvestigations’ Paul Sperry describes as “an open secret inside the Beltway.”

“There have have been stories written about a certain individual, a male, and they say he’s the whistleblower,” Trump told White House reporters Sunday. “If he’s the whistleblower, he has no credibility because he’s a [John] Brennan guy, he’s a Susan Rice guy, he’s an Obama guy. And he hates Trump.”

“Now, maybe it’s not him,” Trump added. “But if it’s him, you guys ought to release the information.”

Sperry reported Wednesday that the whistleblower is allegedly a 33-year-old “registered Democrat held over from the Obama White House, previously worked with former Vice President Joe Biden and former CIA Director John Brennan, a vocal critic of Trump who helped initiate the Russia ‘collusion’ investigation of the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.” The whistleblower reportedly “left his National Security Council posting in the White House’s West Wing in mid-2017 amid concerns about negative leaks to the media” and “has since returned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia,” Sperry reports, citing federal documents. “He was accused of working against Trump and leaking against Trump,” a former NSC official told RealClearInvestigations.

Related: Alleged Identity Of Whistleblower Leaked; Whistleblower’s Lawyers Release Statement Threatening Journalists

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Trump Rejects Whistleblower’s Written Answer Offer, Nearly Reveals Alleged Identity