Andrew P. Bakaj, Whistleblower Attorney, Says His Client’s Safety Is In Jeopardy, Cites Trump’s Rhetoric

The attorney for the whistleblower whose allegations about a phone call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky started the process that may yet lead to Trump’s impeachment, says his client’s safety is in jeopardy, at least in part because of Trump’s rhetoric, USA Today reports.

Andrew P. Bakaj, the attorney for the unnamed whistleblower, submitted a letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire over the weekend in which he expressed concerns about his client’s safety.

“The purpose of this letter is to formally notify you of serious concerns we have regarding our client’s personal safety. 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,” the letter reads.

Reportedly, Bakaj believes that Trump’s recent comments about the whistleblower may be playing a part in jeopardizing the man or woman’s safety. Bakaj pointed to remarks Trump made to a private audience, in which he said that “With spies and treason… we used to handle them a little differently than we do now.” Trump did not, however, specify what he meant by that.

With the whistleblower likely to be in the news more and more as the impeachment inquiry is carried out, Bakaj pointed out that his client is likely to come up in the news with greater frequency. Bakaj reportedly claimed, with that being the case, the “situation will worsen.”

It's been a rather busy week . . . and a working weekend for me. Grateful to have appeared on DC's Fox 5 last week with @FitzFox5DC to discuss the Brett #Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings. pic.twitter.com/GRiLZ2vZTz

— Andrew P. Bakaj ?? ?? (@AndrewBakaj) October 7, 2018

Bakaj also sent the letter to the top Democrats and Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, before whom the whistleblower will almost certainly be called to testify. Bakaj asks that the committee do whatever is necessary to both protect the whistleblower’s identity and his or her safety, if and when they eventually appear to testify.

Maguire, for his part, says that he does not know the identity of the whistleblower, but that he will do his best to protect his or her identity. Maguire also says that he believes the whistleblower did the right thing in coming forward with his or her allegations.

This is not the first time Bakaj has purportedly stated that his client’s safety is in jeopardy. As reported at the time by The Inquisitr, on Sunday, a 60 Minutes report revealed that Bakaj has claimed that “certain individuals” have put a $50,000 bounty on the individual.

Donald Trump, for his part, has insisted that he deserves to meet his accuser.