Democrats mull masking whistleblower, holding testimony at remote locale: report

House Democrats are looking to prevent the whistleblower from being identified by holding the person’s testimony at a remote location and potentially changing their appearance and voice.

Democrats are going to great lengths to hide the whistleblower’s identity out of fear the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee could leak their identity, according to The Washington Post, which cited three people familiar with the discussions. 

{mosads}Democrats are considering holding testimony outside the Capitol as well as a staff-only session that would bar lawmakers from questioning the whistleblower, according to the Post.

Democrats are also weighing options to distort the whistleblower’s appearance and voice, including through a video camera or audio-only testimony or by placing the person behind a screen, the Post reported.

These meetings could occur “within the next couple of weeks,” though the date has not been decided, an official told the Post.

The whistleblower’s allegations that President Trump sought to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden led Democrats to start an impeachment inquiry.

Trump has requested to know the identity of the whistleblower and has called the person “close to a spy.”

The lawyer representing the whistleblower has expressed concern for his client’s safety. A second whistleblower has hired the same legal team.