FBI Seeks Whistleblower Interview | Talking Points Memo

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The FBI would reportedly like to interview the whistleblower whose complaint sparked the impeachment inquiry.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1263758
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Way, way worse than Watergate!

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Yeah, in normal times this would be sensible, as it would be part of the investigation and the FBI would protect the identity of the WB. Now, it’s not clear that anyone in the DoJ can be trusted, not with Barr running things…maybe the FBI wants to do an honest investigation, maybe they are now an arm of Trump’s campaign. It makes it hard to trust anything connected to political investigations they may do.

It could be a good sign that the FBI is investigating, but only if they are talking to others as well, as there is a lot of information out there that they can use to pursue criminal investigations.

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Is Barr in on this?

The only legitimate reason to question the whistleblower would be to see if a criminal investigation should have been opened previously when info was reported to DOJ. And Barr himself put the kibosh to that.

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Which FBI? The one protecting America’s interests or the one providing a free pass to the White House?

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I recognize Bill Barr’s foul stench in this request.

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No one within a 1000 miles of Barr should have information on the WB. Keep his/her identity secret. At this point, his/her information has all been verified by multiple witnesses. FBI interviews aren’t necessary.

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We need a gas chromatograph to sort out which stench is coming from which direction…

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Your comment clearly exposes the danger Trump and Barr pose to America.

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My spidey sense is tingling. The idea sounds like an ambush.

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Yes, worse.

As if Watergate were perpetrated by comic book villains.

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This has to be very intimidating to the WB. More important it casts a warning to future whistleblowers. ‘Talk and you risk FBI investigation.’

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Who is the FBI agent and was he acting on the orders of someone from DOJ or the WH?

If not, who within the FBI ordered the phone call? I am sure that the whistleblower is more than willing to give law enforcement folks the truth if their anonymity from the WH and DOJ are respected.

The fact the Army is now having to provide full protection to Lt Col Vindman and his family is seriously unfortunate. Even if you back this WH, what would be the reason to attack/threaten/intimidate the fact witness? Obviously the facts hurt the POTUS and his base and are bad for all of us Americans, as it has shown that the POTUS puts his own selfish interests infront of the business for the American people. It seem pretty clear that this is exactly what confronted the founders in the creation of our constitution and our bicameral government. This POTUS is acting like King George! King Donald the selfish!

Someone save us from this misery.

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We are the cusp of unimaginable tyranny and might be becoming a police state that is driven by corrupt christian conservative extremists, racist white nationalists, thieves and thugs like Bill Barr, Bart Kavanaugh, Stephen Miller and Jerome Powell and sleazy Iwanker Trump. Even predators and criminals in prisons have more values and standards for conduct.

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That’s correct. The DoJ can’t say “There is no predicate for a criminal investigation” but at the same time say, “The FBI needs to grill the whistleblower.” It is impossible to read that as anything other than an illegitimate, unethical, and criminal effort to deter future whistleblowers.

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Right-wing rodents are posting the whistleblower’s name on every GOP twitter thread and elsewhere.

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Word is the identity of the whistleblower is known by a few people beyond his counsel and those he initially alerted to what he knew. I’ll bet if the FBI gets involved it won’t be long before Barr knows his name (if he doesn’t already) and releases it through a channel assuring plausible deniability once having done so.

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that an FBI agent in the Washington field office

Would it be too much to ask the name of the FBI agent? Huh, Jim Jordan?

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“Stupid Watergate” somebody said.

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By convention, only the “gate” suffix is used, so Stupidgate.

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