Whistleblower is reportedly a CIA officer who was stationed at the White House
The whistleblower who filed a complaint alleging President
Trump improperly leveraged military aid to encourage Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and
his son, Hunter Biden, is a Central Intelligence Agency officer, the New York Times reported Thursday.
The officer was detailed at the White House but has since returned to the CIA. His complaint became public earlier on Thursday, and it revealed, if accurate, that the White House officials "had intervened to 'lock down' all records of the phone call, especially the word-for-word transcript of the call."
The complaint did not contain firsthand accounts of the controversial phone call, only secondhand and thirdhand information.
“Any decision to report any perceived identifying information of the whistle-blower is deeply concerning and reckless, as it can place the individual in harm’s way,” said Andrew Bakaj, the whistleblower's lead counsel told the Times. “The whistle-blower has a right to anonymity.”
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee earlier in the day and addressed the need to keep the whistleblower's identity unknown.
“We must protect those who demonstrate the courage to report alleged wrongdoing, whether on the battlefield or in the workplace,” he said.
The CIA declined to comment for the Times' story.
The officer was detailed at the White House but has since returned to the CIA. His complaint became public earlier on Thursday, and it revealed, if accurate, that the White House officials "had intervened to 'lock down' all records of the phone call, especially the word-for-word transcript of the call."
The complaint did not contain firsthand accounts of the controversial phone call, only secondhand and thirdhand information.
“Any decision to report any perceived identifying information of the whistle-blower is deeply concerning and reckless, as it can place the individual in harm’s way,” said Andrew Bakaj, the whistleblower's lead counsel told the Times. “The whistle-blower has a right to anonymity.”
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee earlier in the day and addressed the need to keep the whistleblower's identity unknown.
“We must protect those who demonstrate the courage to report alleged wrongdoing, whether on the battlefield or in the workplace,” he said.
The CIA declined to comment for the Times' story.
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