President Trump took aim late Saturday at reports that a second whistleblower has emerged, accusing his foes of “going to the bench” after the first complaint filed about his conversation with the Ukraine president.
“The first so-called second hand information ’Whistleblower’ got my phone conversation almost completely wrong, so now word is they are going to the bench and another ’Whistleblower’ is coming in from the Deep State, also with second hand info. Meet with Shifty. Keep them coming!” tweeted Mr. Trump.
Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the first whistleblower, told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos that a second intelligence official has spoken to the Inspector General, and that this person has “first-hand knowledge of some of the allegations outlined in the original complaint,” according to ABC.
The first so-called second hand information “Whistleblower” got my phone conversation almost completely wrong, so now word is they are going to the bench and another “Whistleblower” is coming in from the Deep State, also with second hand info. Meet with Shifty. Keep them coming!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2019
BREAKING: Second whistleblower comes forward after speaking with inspector general, attorney tells @ABC News. https://t.co/W5577DBwa1
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 6, 2019
SEE ALSO: Lindsey Graham says Trump whistleblowers will testify in public if House votes to impeach
The New York Times reported Friday that a second whistleblower was weighing whether to file a complaint, although Mr. Zaid said he did not know whether the report referred to his client.
The first complaint, dated Aug. 12 and released Sept. 26, has been criticized for relying on second-hand information about the president’s July 25 conversation with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in which Mr. Trump asked him to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden over his involvement in the Ukraine related to his son.
Mr. Biden bragged in 2015 that he got a Ukrainian prosecutor fired by threatening to withhold foreign aid. His son Hunter Biden joined the board of a Ukrainian energy company in 2014.
“The other thing, there’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great,” said Mr. Trump in the transcript released by the White House. “Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it … It sounds horrible to me.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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