The lead attorney representing a whistleblower behind a complaint concerning President Donald Trump's telephone conversation with the president of Ukraine warned the president Monday he will violate federal law if he takes action against his client.
"The Intel Community Whistleblower is entitled to anonymity," attorney Andrew P. Bakaj said on Twitter, shortly after the president told reporters the White House is seeking the person's identity. "Law and policy support this and the individual is not to be retaliated against. Doing so is a violation of federal law."
Trump on Monday told reporters at the White House that efforts were being made to identify the whistleblower, reports The Hill.
In the complaint, released publicly Thursday, the whistleblower accused Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani of trying to get Ukraine to help investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter for accusations of corruption.
Late Monday afternoon, Giuliani was subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee, after consultation with the committees of Oversight and Foreign Affairs, to present information as part of the growing impeachment inquiry into Trump.
The whistleblower complaint, which was released to the public Thursday, accuses Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani of a broad effort to enlist Ukraine's help in investigating 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden over unsubstantiated allegations of corruption.
The White House has released a memo that confirmed Trump asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a July 25 phone call to work with Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr to investigate the Bidens. Before the memo was released, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the former impeachment inquiry, after several months of holding back on the topic.
Trump also tweeted Sunday he wants to meet the whistleblower and the person who "illegally gave this information" to that person: "Was this person SPYING on the U.S. President. Big consequences."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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