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(CNN) - Mark Zaid, a lawyer for the anonymous whistleblower whose accusations about President Donald Trump's talks with Ukraine ignited the political trial investigation of the president, said Sunday he offered Republican lawmakers to send questions to his client directly without having to go through the Democratic majority of the House Intelligence Commission.
The complainant previously offered to answer questions from legislators under oath and in writing if they were submitted by the House Intelligence Commission as a whole. This new offer would be a direct channel of communication with Republicans who are a minority in that commission. The Republican leadership has complained that the process is unfair and too restrictive in its ability to interrogate witnesses.
In a series of tweets, Zaid said that Republicans in the House Intelligence Commission have tried to "expose the identity of our client that could endanger their security, as well as that of their family."
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"Despite the Commission's long-standing policy to protect whistleblowers, especially anonymous ones (by the way, this was consistent with my efforts with the Republican Party in #Benghazi), the party has tried to expose the identity of our a client that could jeopardize his safety, as well as that of his family, ”Zaid tweeted Sunday morning.
The lawyer continued: “We have offered @DevinNunes, a senior member of the Commission, the opportunity for the minority to send written questions to WBer. The questions cannot search for identifying information, which we will not provide, or else they will be inappropriate. We will ensure timely responses. We are ready to cooperate and ensure that the facts, instead of partisanship, dictate any process that involves the complainant. ”
Zaid said Rep. Devin Nunes, a senior member of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, acknowledged receipt of his offer for Republican lawmakers to send written questions to his client, but said the California Republican has not yet provided a substantive response.
CNN has contacted Nunes for comments.
Zaid said the offer underscores his client's desire to ensure that his complaint is handled in a non-partisan manner. “Being a whistleblower is not partisan work nor is political judgment an objective. That is not our role, ”Zaid tweeted, adding that“ they are ready to cooperate and ensure that the facts, instead of partisanship, dictate any process that involves ”their client.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the complainant and attempted to discredit the individual, saying he deserves to "know his accuser" and has demanded that the identity of the complainant be revealed.
"The whistleblower was so wrong that HE must identify himself," the president tweeted Sunday morning. Trump also accused the complainant of partisanship, although he said he had no personal knowledge.
In October, Republicans on the commissions leading the political trial investigation sent a letter to the president of the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives, Adam Schiff, demanding that he bring the complainant to testify publicly. Democrats have said they will not do so because of the concerns of keeping the identity of the person secret.
"They have the right to remain anonymous," Schiff said Tuesday after the hearing of the main White House Ukrainian expert, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
“Certainly they should not be subject to such vicious attacks and other words and actions that threaten their security by fulfilling their patriotic duty. And so we will do our best to ensure that, despite the desire of the president or his allies for political revenge against this complainant, our commission is never used for that purpose. ”
CNN Pamela Brown contributed to this report.
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