Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) argued despite a warning from Andrew Bakaj, the attorney for the so-called whistleblower, that revealing his client’s identity would jeopardize his safety, there was nothing statutorily preventing him identifying the whistleblower by name.
The Kentucky Republican mentioned his run-ins with political violence before making his case.
“You know, I don’t wish harm on anyone,” Paul said. “I’ve been the victim of political violence, not once but twice. I was there at the ball field when Steve Scalise was almost killed. The staff member was 10 feet from me, who was shot. I had six of my ribs broken by a hater of President Trump. So I know what political violence is all about. I don’t want that at all.”
“But the report was not correct in the sense that the statute says the inspector general can’t reveal the name,” he continued. “It says the president should enforce the law, but the person you quoted was disingenuous in what they were saying. The statute says the inspector general can’t reveal the name. There’s nothing that prevents me from saying it now other than that I want it to be more about the process and less about the person. But there’s no law that prevents me from mentioning the name of who’s been said to be the whistleblower.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor