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Arkansas Granny

(31,516 posts)
Tue Nov 5, 2019, 06:27 AM Nov 2019

Don't reveal the whistleblower on Donald Trump's phone call with Ukraine

The fundamental promise of whistleblower protection is to create a safe space for a witness of wrongdoing to come forward and report it — and, for the sake of his or her professional reputation or even physical safety, to remain anonymous in doing so.

Nothing chills truth-telling in the halls of power like the risk of retribution, and no risk is more harrowing than unmasking potentially impeachable offenses by a president.

So it may come as little surprise that Donald Trump — with his legacy and potentially even his job hanging in the balance — would turn the promise of whistleblower protection on its head. He has launched a vitriolic campaign to publicly identify the person who exposed his problematic July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine.

Triggering impeachment inquiry
The whistleblower is a member of the U.S. intelligence community who confidentially told Congress in August that Trump pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on a political opponent, a complaint that triggered a House investigation and subsequently an impeachment inquiry.

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/4157167002?__twitter_impression=true

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