Informant’s offer to Republicans
WASHINGTON: The US official whose whistleblower complaint led to the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump offered to communicate directly with Republicans on the intelligence committee leading the inquiry, his lawyers said yesterday.
The action was in response to Republican efforts, led by Trump, to unmask the whistleblower, a member of the US intelligence community whose identity has not been released, lawyer Mark Zaid said.
Republicans have ‘‘sought to expose our client’s identity, which could jeopardise their safety, as well as that of their family,’’ Zaid wrote on Twitter.
News of the offer came as Trump called on the whistleblower to come forward, in a stark departure from norms.
‘‘The Whistleblower got it sooo wrong that HE must come forward,’’ he tweeted.
Later, Trump called the whistleblower an ‘‘Obama guy’’ and a fraud.
Republicans have complained the impeachment inquiry in the Democraticled House of Representatives has been unfair to them and to Trump, and that they have been restricted in their questioning of witnesses. The inquiry has followed established House rules.
Leaders of the House expect to begin public hearings in the next few weeks.
Three officials in the White House Office of Management and Budget will not appear for depositions requested for this week by House investigators, an administration official has said.
As the inquiry enters its sixth week, the whistleblower’s testimony, based on secondhand information provided by other US officials, is not likely to be the most important.
Lawmakers leading the inquiry have since heard firsthand accounts from US officials, including former National Security Council member Alexander Vindman, that describe Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate the 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as well as accusations he used US aid as leverage.
The whistleblower initially offered to answer questions in writing if submitted by the House Intelligence Committee as a whole.
Zaid said the new offer, made on Sunday to top intelligence panel Republican Devin Nunes, reflected the client’s desire to have the complaint handled in a nonpartisan way.
‘‘Our willingness to cooperate has not changed. What we object to and find offensive, however, is the effort to uncover the identity of the whistleblower,’’ added Andrew Bakaj, another of the whistleblower’s lawyers.
Nunes’ office did not return a request for comment.
Trump said yesterday House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff could not be trusted to release accurate transcripts of testimony, saying he was ‘‘a proven liar, leaker & freak, who is really the one who should be impeached!’’.
Republican lawmakers should ‘‘give their own transcripts of the interviews to contrast with Schiff’s manipulated propaganda’’, he added. — Reuters