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2nd whistleblower comes forward after speaking with IG: Attorney – ABC News, ABC News

2nd whistleblower comes forward after speaking with IG: Attorney – ABC News, ABC News


Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the whistleblowerwho sounded the alarmon President Donald Trump’sdealings withUkraineandtriggered an impeachmentinquiry, tells ABC Newsthat he is now representinga second whistleblowerwho has spoken withthe inspector general.

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Zaid tells ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the second person – also described as an intelligence official – has first-hand knowledge ofsome of the allegationsoutlined in the original complaint and has been interviewed by the head of the intelligence community’s internal watchdog office, Michael Atkinson.

PHOTO: National security lawyer Mark Zaid is photographed at his home in the Washington, D.C. area, July 20, 2016.The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
National security lawyer Mark Zaid is photographed at his home in the Washington, DC area, July 20, 2016.

The existence of a second whistleblower – particularly one who canspeak directly aboutevents involving the president related to conversations involving Ukraine – could undercutTrump’s repeated insistencethat the original complaint, released on Sept. 26, was “totally inaccurate.”

That original seven-pagecomplaint alleged thatTrump pushed a foreign power toinvestigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and Biden’s son, Hunter , and that unnamed senior White House officials then tried to “lock down” all records of the phone call.

“This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call,” the first whistleblower stated, in a complaint filed Aug. 12.

Zaid says both officialshave full protectionof the law intended to protect whistleblowers from being fired in retaliation. While this second official has spoken with the IG – the internal watchdog office created to handle complaints – this person has not communicated yet with the congressionalcommittees conducting theinvestigation.

The New York Times on Friday cited anonymous sources in reporting that a second intelligence official was weighing whether to file his own formal complaint and testify to Congress. Zaid says he does not know if the second whistleblower he represents is the person identified in the Times report.

Zaid’s co-counsel, Andrew Bakaj, confirmed in a tweet Sunday that the firm is representing “multiple whistleblowers.” Zaid later confirmed in atweetthat two are being represented by their legal team.

According to the first whistleblower, more than a half a dozen U.S. officials have information relevant to the investigation – suggesting the probe could widen even further.

A transcript released by the White House of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy showed Trump asking a “favor” of the foreign leader and pushing him to launch an investigation into the Biden family. Hunter Biden was on the board of a Ukraine energy company while his father Vice President Biden led policy on Ukraine during the Obama administration, leading some to question whether there was a conflict of interest or impropriety.

“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son,” Trump told Zelenskiy at one point, offering the assistance of his attorney general. He later adds “a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great.”

The White House cautioned that the transcript was not verbatim.

Textmessages later obtained byCongress showed top U.S. diplomats dangling the possibility of a summit of the two leaders in Washington on the condition that Ukraine agrees to announce an investigation. The Ukraine government never did. The text messages were provided in congressional testimony last week by one of the diplomats,Kurt Volker, who has since resigned.

It is illegal for anyone to receive something of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election, according to the Federal Election Commission. While it is not immediately clear whether Trump or other U.S. officials broke the law in its handling of Ukraine, that might not matter. The Constitution allows for Congress to decide what constitutes an impeachable offense.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, calling the phone call “perfect.”

“Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially when this accuser, the so-called” Whistleblower, “represented a perfect conversation with a foreign leader in a totally inaccurate and fraudulent way,” Trump tweeted September 29.

The White House had no comment.

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