The whistleblower who sparked a political firestorm after claiming that President Trump pressed Ukraine’s leader to re-open an inquiry into Hunter Biden’s business dealings is represented by national security lawyer Mark Zaid, a frequent Trump critic, as well as Andrew Bakaj, who worked for former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced on Tuesday that the whistleblower expressed a desire to speak to the committee and confirmed that lawmakers are speaking to his or her counsel. Schiff added that the testimony could come as “soon as this week”:
The announcement sparked questions about the lawyers representing the whistleblower. Andrew P. Bakaj, a former CIA official and founding/partnering manager of the Washington DC-based Compass Rose Legal Group, is one of the attorneys representing the whistleblower. He and the firm specialize in “adverse security clearance actions, whistleblower activities, and individuals, corporations, and organizations who are facing criminal and/or administrative investigations.”
Yahoo News notes that he “left the CIA in 2014 after facing professional retaliation for trying to work with intelligence community whistleblowers,” and the Washington Times describes him as a “vindicated whistleblower.”
The firm’s website details Bakaj’s past work as a private practice attorney in the nation’s capital and highlights his experience on Capitol Hill, working for three senators: late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), as well as Schumer and Clinton.
The bio also mentions Bakaj’s past work for the Department of State, particularly at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine.
“While traveling on official business in L’viv, Ukraine, he was called upon to act as the American Official ‘on scene’ and assist in the U.S. Government’s response to one of the world’s deadliest air show disasters, which resulted in substantial American aid,” his bio reads.
Some, such as Rep. Mark Walker (D-NC), viewed Bakaj’s past work with Clinton and Schumer as a red flag.
“Let me get this straight: the whistleblower (leaker) had no firsthand knowledge of the call and was just spreading a rumor?” he asked Tuesday.
“And now is being represented by an attorney who had to leave the CIA after a ‘whistleblower’ incident and has the names Schumer and Clinton on his resumé?” he continued.
“This seems about as reputable as the DNC-funded dossier or the latest Kavanaugh propaganda,” he added:
Bakaj is joined by fellow attorney Mark Zaid– a frequent Trump critic who announced his role in joining the legal team over the weekend.
“BREAKING NEWS: I am now formally part of legal team, through @CompassRosePLLC & lead counsel @AndrewBakaj, rep’ing #natsec #whistleblower at center of current controversy,” Zaid announced.
“Neither law firm @MarkSZaidPC nor @BradMossEs involved so Brad can continue to comment on WB policy/law,” he added:
Moss’s purported lack of involvement has not stopped him from issuing snarky remarks on Twitter. On Friday, he called critics of the whistleblower – conservative critics, specifically – “human excrement posing as human beings.”
“There is a special place in the fiery pits of Hell for ‘law and order’ conservatives who smear a whistleblower who made a protected disclosure through proper channels as outlined in federal law,” he declared.
“They are human excrement posing as human beings,” he added:
Zaid has also been vocal on Twitter, openly expressing his contempt for the president:
Both Zaid and Bakaj are also associated with Whistleblower Aid, which Zaid co-founded alongside whistleblower John Tye following Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
“Whistleblower Aid is a non-profit, law firm in Washington, D.C. We support individuals who, lawfully, report government and corporate law breaking,” the website states.
“It’s quite scary to be a whistleblower,” Tye told the Washington Examiner in September 2017. “We’re trying to attract people who see something wrong and want to do something about it and not go to prison.”
However, it seemed clear that the founders had the Russia investigation on their minds at the time.
As the Washington Examiner reported:
Whistleblower Aid describes itself as “a pioneering, non-profit law firm that helps patriotic government employees and brave, private-sector workers report and publicize their concerns” with legal advice that “is confidential, but never ideological or partisan.” Asked in 2017 about the timing of the group’s launch, Tye said, “We want to advise people what to do, whether it’s going to Congress, or an inspector general or Robert Mueller,” referring to the special counsel handling the Russia investigation.
As FEC filings indicate, Tye donated $2,700 to Hillary for America in 2016, adding to the web of blatant anti-Trumpers associated with those representing the whistleblower.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) – spurred by the whistleblower’s claims – officially announced the launch of an impeachment inquiry against the president on Tuesday.
“The House of Representatives will move forward with a formal impeachment inquiry. The President must be held accountable; no one is above the law,” she said:
Trump authorized the “complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript” of his conversation with Ukraine’s President Zelensky prior to Pelosi’s announcement and slammed Democrats for perpetuating a “total Witch Hunt” shortly thereafter:
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