Whistleblower’s Lawyers Condemn Attempts to Unmask After Don Jr. Tweets Name of Alleged Client
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The attorneys representing the Trump whistleblower released a statement hitting back at those attempting to unveil their client’s identity.
“Identifying any suspected name for the whistleblower will simply place that individual and their family at risk of serious harm,” wrote lawyers Mark Zaid and Andrew Bakaj. “We will not confirm or deny any name that is published or promoted by supporters of the president…We will note, however, that publication or promotion of a name shows the desperation to deflect from the substance of the whistleblower complaint. It will not relieve the President of the need to address the substantive allegations, all of which have been substantially proven to be true.”
Statement of November 6, 2019, Concerning the Suspected Identity of the Whistleblower pic.twitter.com/qMBRuLALI8
— Andrew P. Bakaj (@AndrewBakaj) November 6, 2019
The statement from Bakaj and Zaid came after a number of Republicans, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) being one of the most prominent, demanded that the whistleblower’s identity be made public. This morning, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted out the alleged name of the whistleblower, as reported by RealClearPolitics.
The report has been circulated in conservative media, as it cites the whistleblower’s ties to the Obama administration, but it has not been verified. Don Jr. addressed the “outrage” over his post in a subsequent tweet:
I love the outrage about me tweeting an article about the “alleged” whistleblower… also good to know you have other sources confirming.
Those thinking I coordinated with The White House to tweet out a @BreitbartNews article haven’t been watching my feed much. Didn’t happen! https://t.co/CEOZBmcX4p
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 6, 2019
Journalist Yashar Ali, who Don Jr. was replying to, tweeted that the White House was not aware the president’s son was planning on outing the whistleblower.
The White House says the president nor any senior administration official was aware in advance that the president’s eldest son was going to tweet out the name of the alleged whistleblower.
I’ve also asked if they approve of his decision to do so.
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) November 6, 2019
