Trump tells media to reveal identity of whistleblower

Donald Trump has stepped up his calls for the whistleblower who triggered the impeachment inquiry to be unmasked.

Donald Trump boards Air Force One in New York. Picture: AP

Donald Trump has stepped up his calls for the whistleblower who triggered the impeachment ­inquiry to be unmasked, accusing the media of protecting his identity to help the Democrats.

His calls came as the whistleblower offered to answer written questions submitted by Republicans in an effort to counter claims that he is politically partisan.

The US President on Sunday (Monday AEDT) mentioned unconfirmed reports circulating about the identity of the whistleblower and said that the person named had connections to the Obama ­administration.

“There have been stories written about a certain individual, a male, and they say he’s the whistleblower,” he said.

“If he’s the whistleblower, he has no credibility because he’s a (former CIA director John) Brennan guy, he’s a (former national ­security adviser) Susan Rice guy, he’s an Obama guy. And he hates Trump. Now, maybe it’s not him. But if it’s him, you guys ought to ­release the information.”

Mr Trump amplified his attack on Twitter, accusing the media of protecting the whistleblower’s identity to assist the Democrats.

“The fake news media is working so hard that information about the whistleblower’s identity, which may be very bad for them and their Democrat partners, never reaches the Public,” he tweeted. In a separate message he wrote: ‘The whistleblower got it soooo wrong that HE must come forward. The Fake News Media knows who he is but, being an arm of the Democrat Party, don’t want to reveal him because there would be hell to pay. Reveal the Whistleblower and end the Impeachment Hoax.”

Mr Trump’s call comes after some Republicans and some conservative publications have named a person they speculate is the whistleblower, accusing him of being part of a partisan push to topple the President.

The whistleblower, identified as a member of the CIA, filed a complaint about a July phone call ­between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during which Mr Trump asked for Kiev to investigate his political rival Joe Biden.

That revelation and the subsequent release of a reconstructed transcript of the phone call led House of Representatives Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry. Mr Trump has denied he did anything wrong and has lashed out at the inquiry, labelling it a witch hunt.

The whistleblower’s lawyers, who have warned that their client’s safety might be in peril if he is named, said Republicans on the house intelligence committee could submit written questions on oath directly to the whistleblower without having to go through the Democrat-controlled committee.

The whistleblower’s lawyer, Mark Zaid, said the offer was made to show his client was non-partisan. “We stand ready to co-operate and ensure facts — rather than partisanship — dictates any process involving the #whistleblower,” Mr Zaid tweeted.

Although Mr Trump has accused the whistleblower of being inaccurate in his account of the call, congressional testimony from a series of officials in recent weeks have corroborated key parts of the whistleblower’s claims.

A new poll shows the country remains sharply divided over the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found 53 per cent of Americans approve of the impeachment inquiry, with 44 per cent saying they disapprove.

Almost half of those polled — 49 per cent — believe Mr Trump should be removed from office.

Mr Trump says that he believes the impeachment inquiry will backfire on the Democrats and solidify his support base, ensuring he is re-elected next year. But the Democrats have been encouraged by an increase in support for impeachment since they announced their inquiry and believe that the President’s reputation will be further damaged in the eyes of voters if he is impeached.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia