This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/06/us/politics/second-whistleblower-trump-ukraine.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Second Whistle-Blower Has Been Interviewed Over Trump’s Ukraine Dealings Legal Team Says It Represents a Second Whistle-Blower Over Trump and Ukraine
(about 2 hours later)
WASHINGTON — The legal team for the whistle-blower alarmed by President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine is now representing a second whistle-blower, an intelligence official with firsthand knowledge of the president’s interactions, the ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos reported Sunday. WASHINGTON — A lawyer for the whistle-blower whose complaint set off an impeachment inquiry of President Trump said Sunday that the same legal team was now representing a second whistle-blower, an intelligence official with firsthand knowledge of the president’s interactions with Ukraine.
The new whistle-blower has already been interviewed by the intelligence community’s inspector general’s office, but has not yet communicated with any congressional committees, Mr. Stephanapoulos said on his show, “This Week.” The new whistle-blower has the full legal protection for those who raise alarms about wrongdoing in the executive branch, he said. The new whistle-blower “made a protected disclosure under the law and cannot be retaliated against,” Mark S. Zaid, one of the lawyers, said on Twitter.
A member of the legal team confirmed on Twitter that the firm was now representing a second whistle-blower. Mr. Zaid confirmed a report by the ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on his show, “This Week,” which said the new whistle-blower had already been interviewed by the intelligence community’s inspector general’s office, but had not yet communicated with any congressional committees.
Another member of the legal team confirmed on Twitter that the firm was now representing “multiple whistleblowers” but declined to comment further.
The New York Times reported on Friday that an intelligence official with more direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s dealing with Ukraine than the first whistle-blower, and who had grown alarmed by the president’s behavior, was weighing whether to come forward. The second official was among those interviewed by the intelligence community inspector general to corroborate the allegations of the original whistle-blower, one of the people briefed on the matter said.The New York Times reported on Friday that an intelligence official with more direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s dealing with Ukraine than the first whistle-blower, and who had grown alarmed by the president’s behavior, was weighing whether to come forward. The second official was among those interviewed by the intelligence community inspector general to corroborate the allegations of the original whistle-blower, one of the people briefed on the matter said.
The new whistle-blower matches the description of the official that The Times reported on last week. But Mr. Stephanapoulos said that Mark Zaid, one of the lawyers representing the whistle-blower, did not know whether the individual was the same person. The new whistle-blower matches the description of the official that The Times reported on last week. Mr. Zaid said he did not know whether the individual was the same person.
The first whistle-blower, a C.I.A. officer who was detailed to the White House, filed a complaint last month outlining how Mr. Trump used his power to push Ukraine to investigate his domestic political rivals, setting off an impeachment inquiry. Mr. Trump has tried to undermine the credibility of the first whistle-blower, whose identity is not publicly known, by saying that the individual was trading on secondhand information. It is also not clear if the new whistle-blower will file a formal complaint. Mr. Zaid said the second whistle-blower’s act of coming forward to the inspector general had already secured whistle-blower protections.
“The first so-called second hand information ‘Whistleblower’ got my phone conversation almost completely wrong, so now word is they are going to the bench and another ‘Whistleblower’ is coming in from the Deep State, also with second hand info,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday night, referring to his now-infamous July 25 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. “Keep them coming!” The first whistle-blower, a C.I.A. officer who was detailed to the National Security Council, filed a complaint in August outlining how Mr. Trump used his power to push Ukraine to investigate his domestic political rivals, setting off an impeachment inquiry. Mr. Trump has tried to undermine the credibility of the first whistle-blower, whose identity is not publicly known, by saying that the individual was trading on secondhand information.
Mr. Zaid works for Compass Rose Legal Group, a law firm that specializes in representing whistle-blowers. He is part of the legal team that is now representing both individuals who have come forward. The team also includes Andrew P. Bakaj, the lead lawyer, and Charles McCullough III. “The first so-called second hand information ‘Whistleblower’ got my phone conversation almost completely wrong, so now word is they are going to the bench and another ‘Whistleblower’ is coming in from the Deep State, also with second hand info,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday night, referring to his now-infamous July 25 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, in which he leaned on Mr. Zelensky to investigate Joseph R. Biden Jr., the former vice president and current presidential candidate, as well as his son Hunter Biden. “Keep them coming!”
Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, framed the news of the new whistle-blower on Sunday as a political hit on the president. “SURPRISE Democrat lawyer has other secret sources,” Mr. Giuliani wrote on Twitter. He added that the bottom line was that there was “no quid pro quo” attached to Mr. Trump’s pressure on Ukrainian officials to investigate his political rivals, and called the story an “ORCHESTRATED DEM CAMPAIGN LIKE KAVANAUGH,” referring to the sexual misconduct allegations against Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
Mr. Zaid works for Compass Rose Legal Group, a law firm that specializes in representing whistle-blowers. He is part of the legal team that is now representing both individuals who have come forward. The team also includes Andrew P. Bakaj, the lead lawyer, and I. Charles McCullough III.
“I can confirm that my firm and my team represent multiple whistleblowers in connection to the underlying August 12, 2019, disclosure to the Intelligence Community Inspector General,” Mr. Bakaj said on Twitter. “No further comment at this time.”“I can confirm that my firm and my team represent multiple whistleblowers in connection to the underlying August 12, 2019, disclosure to the Intelligence Community Inspector General,” Mr. Bakaj said on Twitter. “No further comment at this time.”
Mr. Zaid did not immediately respond to a request for comment.