60 Minutes ‘scoop’ on Ukraine whistleblower challenged by whistleblower’s own legal counsel

Yes so, claims 60 Minutes!

60 Minutes specifically reported this weekend that it had “obtained a letter that indicates the government whistleblower, who set off the impeachment inquiry of President Trump, is under federal protection, because he or she fears for their safety.”

The whistleblower, whose identity is still unknown, authored a complaint alleging multiple acts of likely criminal wrongdoing by Trump, including when the president attempted to pressure the Ukrainian president into investigating 2020 Democratic front-runner Joe Biden. The whistleblower also alleges Trump and his top lieutenants secretly buried the transcripts of his July phone call with Zelensky.

The letter on which 60 Minutes’ “federal protection” claim is based comes from the law firm Compass Rose Legal Group. The letter is addressed to the office of acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire.

“The purpose of this letter is to formally notify you of serious concerns we have regarding our client’s personal safety,” reads the Sept. 28 letter. “We appreciate your office’s support thus far to activate appropriate resources to ensure their safety.”

There is nothing specific in the note about the federal “support” and “resources.”

The letter, signed by attorney Andrew P. Bakaj, adds that it is paramount that the whistleblower’s identity be kept a secret.

From this and this alone, 60 Minutes reported that federal authorities have taken the extraordinary step of placing the whistleblower responsible for the Trump impeachment inquiry under federal protection.

The only problem here is that senior counsel for Compass Rose Legal Group says it is not true.

“NEWS ALERT: 60 Minutes completely misinterpreted contents of our letter, which is now published online,” tweeted attorney Mark S. Zaid. “Nor have we, as we stated earlier today, reached any agreement with Congress on contact with the whistleblower. Discussions remain ongoing.”

Amazingly, 60 Minutes responded to this correction by challenging the attorney, tweeting, “60 Minutes stands by its sources and reporting on the whistleblower.”

This prompted an understandably indignant Zaid to respond with this: “Is [60 Minutes] now asserting it has a source other than letter our legal team sent to [Office of the DNI]? Because if it doesn’t, and I know it doesn’t, then it is literally making stuff up,” he tweeted. “That helps no one, especially the whistleblower. The media should always accurately report facts.”

Zaid is right. The impeachment inquiry and everything it is based on are too big to muddy with dubious reporting. It is always important that newsrooms get it right, but it is especially important now, with so much on the line and with faith in newsrooms already so badly shaken, that reporters get the story straight.

60 Minutes versus Zaid is something of a he said/she said, but I am going to go out on a limb and assume the whistleblower’s own legal counsel knows his situation better than CBS’ reporters do.