A second informant is apparently ready to testify about US President Donald Trump. The intelligence official is said to have first-hand information on Trump's dealings with Ukraine and has already turned to the US Intelligence Inspector General, his lawyer said.
The US broadcaster ABC News cited Mark Zaid, who is also the lawyer of the first informant whose statements had set the Ukraine affair rolling. The second whistleblower has already spoken with Michael Atkinson, the Inspector General for the intelligence services. He is a kind of internal supervisor in the Washington Intelligence apparatus - and also the first point of contact for internal informants.
NEWS UPDATE: I can confirm this report. #Whistleblower is represented by our legal team. They are therefore protected under the law and can not be retaliated against. This WBer has first hand knowledge. https://t.co/zYkUYgJ0mE
- Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 6, 2019The "New York Times" had quoted anonymous sources on Friday, according to which a second informant from intelligence circles was considering filing a formal complaint. Attorney Zaid told ABC News that he did not know if the whistleblower he represented was identical to the one quoted in the Times report.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Attorney Mark Zaid (right): First-hand information
Trump wrote on Saturday night, now coming from the hostile bureaucracy him apparently another whistleblower "with information from second hand". On Twitter he wrote: "Should they come!" The Democrats in the House of Representatives have started preparations for impeachment proceedings against Trump for the first tipster's complaint.
"Whistleblower" got my phone conversation almost completely wrong, so now "Whistleblower" is coming in from the Deep State, so with second hand info. Meet with Shifty. Keep them coming!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2019The US president has come under intense pressure since it was revealed that he had urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj on a phone call on July 25 to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Trump then made no secret of his desire to investigate - but he rejected the accusation of pressure. There is no "quid pro quo", so no clear demand for a return.
Trump suspects the Biden without evidence to have been involved in corruption cases in Ukraine as in China. Most recently, Trump came under fire for publicly asking China to investigate.
More at SPIEGEL +
