Washington, CNN :
Lawyers for a whistleblower who accused Donald Trump of pressuring Ukraine to intervene in the 2020 election warn that the President’s threats pose a grave risk to their client’s safety.
Trump meanwhile escalated his attacks on the whistleblower-demanding to meet his “accuser” face to face during a day of rage-filled tweets about the Democratic attempt to impeach him. The President’s anger spilled over during a day of rage-filled tweets Sunday in which he selectively quoted a supporter who said he was afraid of a “Civil War-like fracture” in the country if Trump is forced from office.
The extraordinary spectacle of the President-the titular head of the US legal system-threatening a potential witness in a case against him risks being seen as an attempt to obstruct the investigation. It also cuts against the principle that whistleblowers deserve anonymity and protection, representing another dark twist in an administration that has constantly tested the boundaries of political propriety.
On another frenetic day of political exchanges, Democrats sought to engineer a fast start to their impeachment efforts as their chances of political success hinge on early momentum to keep the White House off balance.
Trump however led a ferocious fight back over the weekend, lashing out at Democrats, the media and the whistleblower as some of his top allies battled through a series of contentious appearances on Sunday talk shows.
On Sunday night, it emerged that lawyers for the whistleblower wrote to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to express “serious concerns” for their client.
“The events of the past week have heightened our concerns that our client’s identity will be disclosed publicly and that, as a result, our client will be put in harm’s way,” the lawyers wrote in a letter date Saturday, September 28, before directly citing a comment by Trump last week.
On that occasion, the President said the person that gave the whistleblower the information was “close to a spy” and hinted at the possibility of execution for such behavior.
The lawyers noted that Trump was not referring directly to the whistleblower, but said that fact did not assuage their concerns and alleged that several unnamed parties had offered a $50,000 bounty for information on their client’s identity.
“Unfortunately, we expect this situation to worsen, and to become even more dangerous for our client and any other whistleblowers, as Congress seeks to investigate this matter,” the lawyers wrote in a letter obtained by CNN’s Pamela Brown.
The letter from the lawyers emerged after House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff Sunday said he had reached a deal to secure testimony from the whistleblower. An attorney for the whistleblower said discussions were continuing. Trump, meanwhile, kept up his bid to discredit the whistleblower.
“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!” Trump tweeted Sunday.
Lawyers for a whistleblower who accused Donald Trump of pressuring Ukraine to intervene in the 2020 election warn that the President’s threats pose a grave risk to their client’s safety.
Trump meanwhile escalated his attacks on the whistleblower-demanding to meet his “accuser” face to face during a day of rage-filled tweets about the Democratic attempt to impeach him. The President’s anger spilled over during a day of rage-filled tweets Sunday in which he selectively quoted a supporter who said he was afraid of a “Civil War-like fracture” in the country if Trump is forced from office.
The extraordinary spectacle of the President-the titular head of the US legal system-threatening a potential witness in a case against him risks being seen as an attempt to obstruct the investigation. It also cuts against the principle that whistleblowers deserve anonymity and protection, representing another dark twist in an administration that has constantly tested the boundaries of political propriety.
On another frenetic day of political exchanges, Democrats sought to engineer a fast start to their impeachment efforts as their chances of political success hinge on early momentum to keep the White House off balance.
Trump however led a ferocious fight back over the weekend, lashing out at Democrats, the media and the whistleblower as some of his top allies battled through a series of contentious appearances on Sunday talk shows.
On Sunday night, it emerged that lawyers for the whistleblower wrote to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to express “serious concerns” for their client.
“The events of the past week have heightened our concerns that our client’s identity will be disclosed publicly and that, as a result, our client will be put in harm’s way,” the lawyers wrote in a letter date Saturday, September 28, before directly citing a comment by Trump last week.
On that occasion, the President said the person that gave the whistleblower the information was “close to a spy” and hinted at the possibility of execution for such behavior.
The lawyers noted that Trump was not referring directly to the whistleblower, but said that fact did not assuage their concerns and alleged that several unnamed parties had offered a $50,000 bounty for information on their client’s identity.
“Unfortunately, we expect this situation to worsen, and to become even more dangerous for our client and any other whistleblowers, as Congress seeks to investigate this matter,” the lawyers wrote in a letter obtained by CNN’s Pamela Brown.
The letter from the lawyers emerged after House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff Sunday said he had reached a deal to secure testimony from the whistleblower. An attorney for the whistleblower said discussions were continuing. Trump, meanwhile, kept up his bid to discredit the whistleblower.
“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!” Trump tweeted Sunday.
