A second whistleblower has come forward in the impeachment case against US President Donald Trump, according to lawyers representing the first one.
An intelligence official with “firsthand knowledge” has provided information related to President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and is now protected from retaliation as a whistle-blower, lawyers representing the official said on Sunday.
Much is unknown about the official, who has been interviewed by the intelligence community’s inspector general but has not filed a formal complaint.
But the individual has hired the same legal team as the first whistle-blower. The second source has not yet filed an official complaint or spoken to the committee.
However, the New York Times says the person spoke to the intelligence community’s inspector general, who has reportedly been seeking to corroborate the first testimony.
One of the whistle-blower’s lawyers, Mark Zaid said the person had first-hand knowledge of allegations associated with the phone call Mr Trump made with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 25 July.
Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani responded on twitter that he was not surprised there was another “secret source”, calling the inquiry politically motivated and lashing out at the “swamp media”.
The impeachment inquiry stems from the call, which was flagged up by the initial whistleblower in August.
