Trump Sets Sights on Whistleblower: 'They’re Almost a Spy'
President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out leaks from within his administration, calling them virtually identical to treason.
Trump was speaking at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York during a private event, but was recorded in a tape that has been put up on YouTube by the Los Angeles Times. A video of part of Trump’s remarks was also posted by Bloomberg.
During the recordings, Trump spoke about the whistleblower complaint that was filed regarding his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The allegation made against the president is that he was asking a foreign leader to interfere in American elections by requesting that Zelensky investigate the son of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden regarding a prosecution that the former vice president quashed.
The prosecution was targeting a company that employed Biden’s son, Hunter.
Trump, who has released a transcript of the call, has denied any improper conduct.
According to the complaint filed by the whistleblower, he did not overhear the call, but was told about its contents by several officials he did not name.
“Basically, that person never saw the report, never saw the call, he never saw the call — heard something and decided that he or she, or whoever the hell it is — they’re almost a spy,” Trump said.
“I want to know who’s the person … who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” said Trump, who throughout his presidency has battled leaks from his administration that have resulted in media allegations against him, particularly during the investigation into now-disproven claims that Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
“You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now,” he said.
Trump last week called the whistleblower “highly partisan” — comments in line with the text of a memo later released by the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel that said the whistleblower showed “some indications of an arguable political bias on the part of the Complainant in favor of a rival political candidate.”
During his remarks Thursday, Trump summed up the issue.
“We’re at war,” he said, The New York Times reported. “These people are sick. They’re sick.”
Trump said of the establishment media: “They’re scum.”
“Many of them are scum, and then you have some good reporters, but not many of them, I’ll be honest with you.”
Also Thursday, Trump labeled the current round of attacks against him a “witch hunt,” according to a White House media pool report.
“I just watched a little bit of this on television. It’s a disgrace to our country. It’s another witch hunt. Here we go again. It’s Adam Schiff and his crew making up stories and sitting there like pious whatever you want to call them. It’s just a — really, it’s a disgrace,” Trump said.
“It’s a terrible thing for our country,” Trump added, referring to a House Intelligence Committee hearing that was largely devoted to the whistleblower issue.
Liddle’ Adam Schiff, who has worked unsuccessfully for 3 years to hurt the Republican Party and President, has just said that the Whistleblower, even though he or she only had second hand information, “is credible.” How can that be with zero info and a known bias. Democrat Scam!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2019
“They can’t do any work. They’re frozen — the Democrats,” he said.
“They’re going to lose the election; they know it. That’s why they’re doing it. And it should never be allowed, what’s happened to this president,” Trump said.
He later added, “We’ve done so many things that are so incredible with tax cuts and regulations. And I have to put up with Adam Schiff … on an absolutely perfect phone call to the new president of Ukraine. That was a perfect call.”
“My call was perfect. The president, yesterday, of Ukraine said there was no pressure put on him whatsoever. None whatsoever. And he said it loud and clear for the press,” Trump said.
“What these guys are doing — Democrats — are doing to this country is a disgrace and it shouldn’t be allowed. There should be a way of stopping it — maybe legally, through the courts. But they’re going to tie up our country. We can’t talk about gun regulation. We can’t talk about anything because, frankly, they’re so tied up. They’re so screwed up, nothing gets done — except for when I do it.”
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