President Donald Trump is asking the media to expose the whistleblower behind a complaint that led to a House impeachment inquiry into his dealings with Ukraine and that such reporting would be “doing the public a service.” He also insisted that his now-infamous call was “perfecto.”
“The whistleblower gave a very inaccurate report about my phone call. My phone call was perfecto. It was totally appropriate. He gave a report — he or she, but according to the newspapers it’s a he,” Trump told reporters.
The whistleblower’s identity is not public, but Trump, without evidence, insisted that the media “know who it is.”
“You know who it is. You just don’t want to report it. CNN knows who it is, but you don’t want to report it. And you know, you would be doing the public a service if you did,” Trump said.
Trump did not give evidence for his claim that CNN or newspapers know the person’s identity.
Watch:
News flash! Trump really is bilingual! He just called his phone call with Ukraine "perfecto." Can "Buildo the Wallo" be far behind? #perfecto #kellyOdonnell #nbc https://t.co/Ow4EqhDSnx
— JulieCatalano (@Julie_Catalano) November 3, 2019
The whistleblower’s lawyers have argued for keeping their client’s identity a secret.
“The fixation on exposing the whistleblower’s identity is simply because they’re at a loss as to how to address the investigations the underlying disclosure prompted,” Andrew Bakaj, an attorney representing the whistleblower, told The Hill in a statement in response to Trump’s remarks.
