Attorneys: Whistleblower willing to meet with Intelligence committees

Attorneys for the whistleblower responsible for a complaint focusing on President Trump’s interactions with the Ukrainian president on Tuesday confirmed news reports that their client is interested in speaking with the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. 

“In order to ensure maximum legal protections for our client, we can confirm press reports that, today, we wrote to the Acting Director of National Intelligence to request specific guidance as to the appropriate security practices to permit a meeting, if needed, with the Members of the Intelligence Oversight Committees,” the attorneys wrote in a statement. “We await a timely response from the Acting Director providing such guidance.”

The whistleblower’s counsel, led by attorney Andrew P. Bakaj, also applauded the Senate’s move to unanimously pass a resolution demanding the release of the complaint.  

The statement came as Trump faces mounting scrutiny over reports that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July phone call to open an investigation into 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden or his son Hunter Biden over allegations of corruption. 

The president’s interactions with Zelensky are the subject of at least part of a whistleblower complaint that surfaced within the intelligence community. While a July 25 phone call has gained considerable attention, the complaint could contain more information and context about the leaders’ discussions. 

Many Democratic lawmakers have raised speculation as to whether Trump delayed hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine as part of an attempt to get the country to investigate a political opponent. Trump had acknowledged speaking with Zelensky about Joe Biden, but has denied addressing military aid. 

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has withheld granting Congress access to the complaint’s contents. He said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would handle the complaint “appropriately.” 

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) revealed early Tuesday that the whistleblower’s counsel had expressed interest in speaking with the the panel. 

“We’re in touch with counsel and look forward to the whistleblower’s testimony as soon as this week,” he said. 

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also said that the whistleblower’s attorneys had reached out to the upper chamber panel, The New York Times noted.