A second whistleblower came forward over the weekend with alleged first-hand knowledge of the events that led to an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
Here’s what we know so far.
The second whistleblower is represented by the same lawyer as the first.
Attorney Mark Zaid told multiple news outlets on Sunday that he and other lawyers on his legal team are now representing both of the whistleblowers.
One of Zaid’s legal partners, Andrew Bakaj, who also is a former CIA officer, tweeted Sunday that they represent “multiple whistleblowers”—which could even mean there are more than the current two.
“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,” Bakaj tweeted.
The second whistleblower has not filed a separate complaint.
Zaid has stated that the second whistleblower has not filed a separate complaint and doesn’t need to. Why? Because anyone who speaks to the inspector watchdog has made a protected disclosure and is now a whistleblower under law, according to Zaid.
The second whistleblower works in the intelligence field.
In a text message to the Associated Press, Zaid said that the second whistleblower, like the first, also works in the intelligence field.
The second whistleblower could thwart Trump’s attempts to discredit the first.
It’s almost a certainty that House Democrats will want to the question the second whistleblower. If the new whistleblower’s information backs up the initial whistleblower’s complaint, which Zaid says it does, it cold weaken Trump’s claims that the complaint was “inaccurate” and that the first whistleblower provided false information.
More must-read stories from Coins2Day:
—A running list of questions on the impeachment inquiry, answered
—White House claims Trump impeachment inquiry violates procedure
—5 lessons history has taught us about impeachment
—What is CrowdStrike, the company Trump mentioned during his Ukraine call?
—How the circumstances around Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry differ from Bill Clinton’s
—How whistleblowers have taken down titans of American business
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