Whistleblower attorney expresses 'serious concerns' over client safety to acting DNI

WASHINGTON – The lead attorney for the whistleblower that set off an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump expressed "serious concerns" for his client's safety to the acting Director of National Intelligence over the weekend.

Andrew P. Bakaj, the attorney, in a letter to acting DNI Joseph Maguire, said that he has appreciated the National Intelligence office's "support thus far to activate appropriate resources to ensure their safety," but also wanted to alert him of concerns over the whistleblower's safety.

"The purpose of this letter is to formally notify you of serious concerns we have regarding our client’s personal safety," Bakaj wrote. "The events of the past week have heightened our concerns that our client’s identity will be disclosed publicly and that, as a result, our client will be put in harm’s way."

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Bakaj cited comments Trump made last week during a private event in New York, where he said: "I want to know who’s the person that gave the Whistleblower, who’s the person that gave the Whistleblower the information, because that’s close to a spy."

"You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? With spies and treason, right? We used to handle them a little differently than we do now," Trump continued.

The whistleblower's complaint, which was made public last week, expresses concern that Trump "used the power of his office" to solicit foreign help to discredit Joe Biden during his call with the Ukrainian president.

Bakaj wrote that he expects the situation to escalate as Congress continues to investigate the whistleblower's accusations.

"Unfortunately, we expect this situation to worsen, and to become even more dangerous for our client and any other whistleblowers, as Congress seeks to investigate this matter," the letter continued.

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A letter was also sent to the top Democrats and Republicans of the House Intelligence Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee alerting them of the concerns expressed to Maguire.

"We call upon the political leadership of both parties to speak out in favor of whistleblower protection and reiterate that this is a protected system where retaliation is not permitted, whether direct or implied," the letter said, which was signed by Bakaj.

We further expect that political leaders from both parties condemn any intimidation against our client and others.

Maguire said last week that he believed the whistleblower "did the right thing." His remarks came before the House Intelligence Committee, where he told them he delayed sending the whistleblower's complaint to Congress due to it involving conversations from the president, which are subject to executive privilege.

During his remarks, Maguire said he doesn't "know who the whistleblower is, to be honest with you," but he's "done my utmost to make sure I protect his identity."

The president has repeatedly denounced the whistleblower's claims. He has also lashed out against Democrats for opening an impeachment inquiry.

In late Sunday tweets, Trump continued to criticize lawmakers, some staff members for "spying" and said he deserves to meet his accuser.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Impeachment: Whistleblower attorney concerned over client's safety