IS OUT TO DESTROY THE HEALTH CARE THAT YOU HAVE, RIP AWAY ALL
THE PROTECTIONS FOR PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. >> I’M GOING TO TURN TO KELLY
O’DONNELL, AGAIN, MONTH HAS DONE
REPORTING ON THE LAW FIRM
REPRESENTING A SECOND
WHISTLE-BLOWER.
WHISTLE-BLOWER. GET US UP TO SPEED WHAT WE KNOW
AT THIS POINT
>> Reporter: WELL, ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT HAS BEEN AT THE
HEART OF THIS, DAVID, THE
PRESIDENT HAS TRIED TO UNDER CUT
THE CORRECT AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE
FIRST PERSON, UNIDENTIFIED,
UNNAMED INDIVIDUAL WHO FILED
THIS FORMAL COMPLAINT.
SO THE LAW FIRM THAT REPRESENTS
THAT PERSON NOW TELLS ME THEY
HAVE MULTIPLE OFFICIALS THAT ARE
ALSO REPRESENTED BY THE FIRM AND
HAVE SPOKEN TO THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL OF THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY AND THERE IS MORE
DIRECT KNOWLEDGE.
DIRECT KNOWLEDGE. WE KNOW WHISTLE-BLOWER 1 HAD NOT
HEARD THE CALL, FOR EXAMPLE, AND
WAS NOT DIRECTLY FIRSTHAND
INVOLVED IN THE EVENTS REGARDING
THE PRESIDENT’S CONTACT ON -- IN
JULY OF THIS YEAR WITH THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT. SO HAVING ADDITIONAL OFFICIALS
WOULD POTENTIALLY PRESUMING
THEY’RE ALL IN LINE WITH WHAT
THEY ARE SAYING, CORROBORATION
FOR THE FIRST WHISTLE-BLOWER.
THAT COULD BE VERY SIGNIFICANT
AS PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO
CHALLENGE THE VALUE OF THE
INFORMATION BROUGHT FORWARD AND
IF HAVING THE STANDING OF THAT
PERSON MEETS WHAT SOME OF THE
PEOPLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND
SOME OF THE ALLIES OF THE
PRESIDENT HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT
IT’S NOT REALLY A WHISTLE-BLOWER
BECAUSE OF NOT HAVING THE FIRST
HAND KNOWLEDGE.
HAND KNOWLEDGE. THINK OF THIS AS A WAY TO
BOLSTER THE INFORMATION THAT’S
BROUGHT FORWARD.
BROUGHT FORWARD. AND VERY SIGNIFICANTLY THAT
OTHER OFFICIALS FEEL COMFORTABLE
TAKING THIS CAREER RISK TO COME
FORWARD WITH INFORMATION.
WHISTLE-BLOWERS ARE PROTECTED
UNDER THE LAW.
THEIR IDENTITY AND PROTECTED
FROM RETALIATION ON THEIR JOBS
FOR A REASON, WHETHER IT’S
GOVERNMENT OR CORPORATE AMERICA.
WHISTLE-BLOWERS HAVE
WHISTLE-BLOWERS HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN VULNERABLE TO
CRITICISM AND TO ATTACK,
FRANKLY, WHEN THEY COME FORWARD.
SO HAVING ADDITIONAL OFFICIALS
WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE EVENTS
AROUND THE UKRAINE CALL IS
SIGNIFICANT.
SIGNIFICANT. AND IT WILL MAKE IT HARDER FOR
THE WHITE HOUSE TO CHALLENGE THE
CREDIBILITY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS
AND AT THIS POINT WE DON’T KNOW
WHAT SORT OF PIECE OF THIS THEY
MAY HAVE IF THEY HAVE KNOWLEDGE
THAT EXPANDS WHAT IS ALREADY IN
THE FACT BASE THAT WE HAVE OR IF
IT SIMPLY CORROBORATES WHAT WAS
KNOWN IN THE FIRST COMPLAINT.
THOSE ARE ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT
WILL COME, DAVID.
AT THIS POINT THE LAW FIRM SAYS
THEY WILL NOT HAVE ANY FURTHER
COMMENT.
COMMENT. THESE ARE OBVIOUSLY SENSITIVE
ISSUES.
ISSUES. CAPITOL HILL WILL BE INTERESTED
IN THIS.
IN THIS. AND MICHAEL ATKINSON, WHO SPENT
A LOT OF TIME ON CAPITOL HILL
FRIDAY, TALKING ABOUT HIS
EVALUATION OF THE WHISTLE-BLOWER
COMPLAINT.
COMPLAINT. IF HE HAS NOW BEEN IN TOUCH WITH
OTHER OFFICIALS AS WELL WHO
COULD CORROBORATE PARTS OF THIS.
IT SEEMS SIGNIFICANT ON THE
FACTS AND POLITICALLY SEEMS LIKE
MORE WEIGHT GOING AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT WHO TRIED TO DISMISS
THIS.
THIS. >> KELLY O’DONNELL, YOU’RE SO
GOOD AT TELLING ME WHAT I DON’T
KNOW AND DOING IT POLITELY.
WE HEAR THIS AND WE THINK ABOUT
THE PIECE THAT WAS IN THE "NEW
YORK TIMES" BY ADAM GOLDMAN AND
MICHAEL SCHMIDT.
MICHAEL SCHMIDT. THAT WHISTLE-BLOWER IN THE WINGS
HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH ATKINSON,
INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. I GATHER YOU’RE SAYING WE DON’T
KNOW IN THIS GROUP OF
WHISTLE-BLOWER THAT LAW FIRM
REPRESENTS.
REPRESENTS. WE DON’T KNOW IF THEY HAVE
SPOKEN YET TO THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL.
GENERAL. ARE WE RIGHT ABOUT THAT?
>> Reporter: IT’S HARD TO KNOW
IF THE FIGURE DESCRIBED BY
ANOTHER NEWS OUTLET IS THE SAME
INDIVIDUAL.
INDIVIDUAL. WHAT WE CAN SAY IS IN THE AREA
OF THIS SORT OF NATIONAL
SECURITY LAW, THE ATTORNEY TEAM,
AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAWYERS
INVOLVED REPRESENTING
INVOLVED REPRESENTING WHISTLE-BLOWER 1 NOW HAS AMONG
THEIR CLIENTS ADDITIONAL
OFFICIALS WHO THEY’RE
CHARACTERIZING AS WHISTLE
BLOWERS.
BLOWERS. SO IS IT A SECOND OR MORE?
THEY’RE USING THE TERM MULTIPLE.
WHAT WE DON’T YET KNOW IS WHAT
PIECES OF STORY MIGHT THEY
CORROBORATE FROM THE JULY CALL.
DO THEY HAVE NEW INFORMATION?
IS THEIR TYPE OF JOB DESCRIPTION
PROVIDING SOME OTHER WINDOW INTO
THE EVENT?
THE EVENT? THOSE ARE THE BIG QUESTIONS.
IT’S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE
WHISTLE-BLOWERS, AS DEFINED BY
THE LEGAL TEAM, HAVE IN FACT,
SPOKEN TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.
AND THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE IN
ORDER TO BE LABELED A
WHISTLE-BLOWER UNDER THE LAW,
YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE SYSTEM.
SO SPEAKING TO THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL WOULD HELP TO SORT OF
TRIGGER THAT PROTECTION.
SO WE KNOW AT LEAST AT THIS
POINT THESE ARE OFFICIALS WHO
HAVE PROVIDED INFORMATION IN AN
OFFICIAL CHAIN OF EVENTS AND NOT
JUST INDIVIDUALS ON THE OUTSIDE
WHO HAVEN’T TOLD THEIR STORY
YET.
YET. CALLING THEM WHISTLE-BLOWERS,
THEY HAVE TO HAVE PROVIDED
INFORMATION IN THE FORMAL
PATHWAY THAT WHISTLE-BLOWERS DO.
THAT MIGHT SOUND COMPLICATED.
THE KEY THING IS THERE IS MORE
THAN ONE PERSON WILLING TO PUT
THEIR JOB ON THE LINE TO SAY
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED.
I HAVE INFORMATION.
.
. >> ALL RIGHT.