Congress is talking about impeachment after news broke about a whistleblower complaint involving President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter.
I’ve got the perfect guest for the moment: Andrew Bakaj. He served in the CIA and the Department of Defense, and he’s an attorney with the Compass Rose Legal Group who just so happens to represent the whistleblower in this case. On today’s show, we’re going to discuss the Espionage Act as it applies to whistleblowing and leaking within the intelligence and national security communities and examine how important whistleblowing is to report waste, fraud, and abuse in our government.
I want to issue a disclaimer here. Back in August, I interviewed Bakaj for the podcast, thinking we would have an in-depth discussion on the topic of whistleblowing and leaking. It wasn’t until late September that I learned that Bakaj was representing the government employee who filed a whistleblower complaint against Trump that caused Speaker Nancy Pelosi to ramp up the impeachment inquiry. As the story has unfolded, I reached out to Bakaj to comment on the Trump case. Unsurprisingly, he wouldn’t offer to comment on it. What you’re about to hear is my conversation with Bakaj about whistleblowing and leaking, and while he doesn’t comment on anything relating to the Trump case, it could very well provide some insight into this issue and possibly Trump’s case.
Also noteworthy, Bakaj worked for three Democratic senators, including Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer.
Hashing it Out is a podcast hosted by Siraj Hashmi, the Washington Examiner‘s commentary video editor & writer. Each episode includes a political guest to offer historical context of the news and politics of the day and insight into how we got to where we are. If you want to find the deeper meaning behind current events, then Hashing it Out is the podcast for you.
