Ivanka Breaks from Trump Call to Out Whistleblower: Identity is ‘Not Particularly Relevant’
White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump pushed back on calls to out the whistleblower at the heart of the Trump-Ukraine scandal, saying on Friday that the official’s protected identity is not “relevant.”
The first-daughter made the comments during an Associated Press interview in Morocco, where she is visiting to promote new laws in the country that allow women to own land, amid calls from Donald Trump and other Republicans to unmask the whistleblower who filed a complaint over the president’s push for Ukraine to launch an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden.
“At the end of the day, I don’t view the whistleblower — [they] shouldn’t be a substantive part of the conversation, because this is a third-party who was not privy to the call and did not have first-hand information, so that was the catalyst for all of this discussion,” she said, before adding that the whistleblower’s identity “is not particularly relevant.”
Ivanka Trump continued by arguing that “the motivation behind” the whistleblower’s complaint should be the focus, instead of their identity.
“I think that person’s identity is known, it’s all over the internet. That person’s own lawyer, immediately following the inauguration, said that the coup was beginning, so I do think that makes one question intent and motivation, which is relevant,” the White House aide said earlier in the interview. “But at the end of the day, I don’t view the whistleblower — it shouldn’t be a substantive part of the conversation, because this is a third-party who was not privy to the call and did not have first-hand information, so that was the catalyst for all of this discussion. But to me it’s not particularly relevant, aside from what the motivation behind what all of this was.”
Her suggestion that the public should focus on the whistleblower’s motivations rather than their name differs from her father, who pushed for exposing their identity in a Monday tweet: “The Whistleblower gave false information & dealt with corrupt politician Schiff. He must be brought forward to testify.”
The Whistleblower gave false information & dealt with corrupt politician Schiff. He must be brought forward to testify. Written answers not acceptable! Where is the 2nd Whistleblower? He disappeared after I released the transcript. Does he even exist? Where is the informant? Con!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2019
During a Monday night campaign rally in Kentucky, Trump stood by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as the lawmaker demanded that media organizations out the whistleblower.
“Do your job and print his name!” the junior Kentucky senator exclaimed while Trump stood next to him on the stage and applauded.
Watch above, via the Associated Press.
