Whistleblower attorney says complaint was drafted “entirely on their own,” pushing back on any suggestion their client worked with a member of Congress to write the complaint that sparked a new push for impeachment by Democrats.
Attorneys for the whistleblower at the center of a growing impeachment inquiry related to President Donald Trump and a phone call he had with the president of Ukraine are pushing back on any suggestion their client worked with a member of Congress to write the complaint that sparked a new push by congressional Democrats.
"Like other whistleblowers have done before and since under Republican and Democratic-controlled Committees, the whistleblower contacted the Committee for guidance on how to report possible wrongdoing within the jurisdiction of the Intelligence Community," Patrick Boland, the spokesman, wrote in a statement."Consistent with the Committee's longstanding procedures, Committee staff appropriately advised the whistleblower to contact an Inspector General and to seek legal counsel.
"Well, I think it's a scandal that he knew before. I'd go a step further: I think he probably helped write it. Okay? That's what the word is. And I think it's -- I give a lot of respect for the New York Times for putting it out," Trump said. The White House counsel's office and the Justice Department also were alerted to concerns over the call between Trump and Ukraine's president more than a week before both were notified a whistleblower had filed a formal complaint with the intelligence community's inspector general, several U.S. officials from two separate government agencies confirmed to ABC News.
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