The news of a second whistleblower has the media abuzz. This whistleblower, unlike the first one, reportedly hand “firsthand” knowledge of the July 25 Trump-Zelensky phone call. I personally don’t think that is a big issue, unless Whistleblower #2 can talk about things that came up that (for some nefarious reason) did not come to light in the non-transcript “transcript” released by the Trump White House.
Trump seems nervous though:
“IG: DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION CONTRADICTS THE WHISTLEBLOWER.” @foxandfriends But why are people surprised? The “partisan” Whistleblower was very wrong on what was said on my perfect, “no pressure,” call with the Ukrainian President. Bring in another Whistleblower from the bench!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
Trump and Republicans are making threats to expose the whistleblowers. They say it is necessary for their “defense” and due process, etc. (which one does not get in an investigation). And again, why?? The White House’s own (probably summarized) transcript confirmed that Trump was extorting Ukraine for political gain. So do Kurt Volker’s texts. The identity of the whistleblower(s) is just a means for punishment.
Meanwhile, a group of about 90 former national-security officials who served under Democratic and Republican presidents, including Trump, released an open letter to Americans calling on the government and media to preserve the whistleblower’s anonymity.