President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Young Black Leadership Summit 2019 at the White House on Friday. Tasos Katopodis/CNP via ZUMA
The lawyers representing the first whistleblower, whose complaint about Donald Trump’s behavior provoked an impeachment inquiry, said Sunday that they now representing another whistleblower with knowledge of the Ukraine scandal. The second whistleblower poses a threat to the president’s attempts to downplay the scandal because the second person supposedly has first-hand knowledge of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
Attorneys Mark Zaid and Andrew Bakaj at the DC firm Compass Rose Legal Group together represent both whistleblowers.
NEWS UPDATE: I can confirm this report of a second #whistleblower being represented by our legal team. They also made a protected disclosure under the law and cannot be retaliated against. This WBer has first hand knowledge. https://t.co/zYkUYgJ0mE
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 6, 2019
IC WHISTLEBLOWER UPDATE: 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. No further comment at this time. https://t.co/05b5aAVm2G
— Andrew P. Bakaj (@AndrewBakaj) October 6, 2019
The first whistleblower’s complaint was based in large part on second-hand information. Attacks on the whistleblower from President Donald Trump and his allies have focused on this fact, dismissing the complaint as “hearsay.” But according to Zaid, this second whistleblower has first-hand knowledge of Trump’s Ukraine dealings.
After the first whistleblower, whose identity remains unknown, filed his complaint with the intelligence community inspector general, Michael Atkinson, on August 12, Atkinson launched his own investigation to try to corroborate the complaint. Atkinson found the original whistleblower’s complaint urgent and credible.
