A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent said she was “heartened” by the whistleblower’s complaint at the center of the impeachment inquiry, saying she hoped it would be considered “on its merits.”
“We’re in a a hyperpartisan moment,” Amaryllis Fox, who is now an author, told Hill.TV on Thursday. “I hope that it can be considered on its merits.”
Fox added she believed that it would serve as an inspiration for the intelligence community and future whistleblowers to go through the proper channels.
“This particular whistleblower process has actually been a very heartening example of following the process,” she said.
The former CIA agent emphasized that not all whistleblowers go through the designated channels aimed at protecting national security.
“We’ve seen would-be whistleblowers before have information that they felt in many ways — rightly — of public concern and sidestep that whistleblowing process in order to release classified cables to the media,” she told Hill.TV.
Fox’s comments come a month after a whistleblower’s complaint was declassified and made public.
The whistleblower, who remains unidentified, complained about a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
The concerns raised in the complaint are what ultimately sparked House Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry against the president.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and since threatened the whistleblower, accusing them of being biased against him. Trump’s attacks prompted the whistleblower’s lawyers to express concern for their client’s safety.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told reporters on Wednesday that the whistleblower has yet to agree to meet with his Senate panel.
House Democrats, who have sought to protect the whistleblower’s identity, meanwhile said that testimony from the intelligence community whistleblower may no longer be necessary.
—Tess Bonn
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