Today, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the Acting Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued the following joint statement condemning attacks on the Intelligence Community whistleblower:
“The President is leading, with the help of Republican allies in Congress, a shameful effort to threaten, intimidate, and retaliate against the brave individual who simply rang the initial alarm. Whistleblowers have a right to remain anonymous to protect their jobs and their safety. “It is shocking that anyone—especially those in Congress or the White House—would attack a whistleblower or seek to expose his or her identity. It would be an abuse of power for the President to use his office to do so. Any effort to out a whistleblower or anyone suspected of being a whistleblower is dangerous, unethical, and potentially illegal. No one is above the law, including the President of the United States and Members of Congress.
“Whistleblowers are critical to exposing wrongdoing in the federal government. Republican Members of Congress should remember their own previous commitments to protecting whistleblowers rather than trying to intimidate them in order to protect President Trump.”
Today, the chairs also released a background document detailing previous Republican statements pledging to protect the identity of whistleblowers who report waste, fraud, or abuse “at all cost.”
Last week, Ridenhour Prize winners and those engaged in the selection of the winners issued a statement condemning the attacks on the whistleblower. View the statement here.
Sixteen civil society organizations also issued a statement condemning the attacks on the whistleblower. View the statement here.
