The case against Donald J Trump, the evidence being assembled – first from the White House transcript of his July phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, then from the testimony of credible witnesses – is so persuasive that allies of the president are resorting to a desperate and dangerous tactic.
They are demanding that the House Intelligence Committee examine the “Whistle Blower” in public session. Chairman Adam Schiff is almost certain to reject that demand. However, already Donald Trump Jr., and a few Trump partisans have publicized the name of a person (a CIA agent) they believe is the “Whistle Blower.”
They say the “Whistle Blower” must be publicly identified and investigated because he/she may be a rabid anti-Trumpster, a creature of the “deep state or other organ of those who would bring down Trump.
Such a person’s motive, they say, would not be to report wrong doing but simply to harm a president the person hates. And in such case, they maintain, the president cannot be fairly Impeached or otherwise brought to account for allegations brought by such a biased person.
Who do these Trump allies think they’re kidding? What twisted logic as that do they think the public would accept? Who with any intelligence would think that the name of the accuser would negate the evidence of wrongdoing against the accused?
I give you the following hypothetical example.
Late one night a call comes into the 911 line in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the caller whose number is blocked and who refuses to give his identity says if the police will look behind the Dumpster at the corner of Montgomery and Wyoming Streets they will find a dead body.
The police respond and find a body and a gun with fingerprints on it; indeed, according to the City pathologist the deceased has been shot to death by bullets from that gun
Moreover, the police locate several eyewitnesses who describe a man they saw running from the scene. And when the police, tracing the fingerprints on the gun, arrest a suspect the witnesses separately identify him from a police lineup.
The suspect is indicted on a charge of First Degree Murder but before the trial gets underway and the evidence is presented, the suspect’s defense team demands that the person who called in the tip to 911 be found and subjected to a public interrogation as to who he is and why he made the call. Otherwise, the suspect’s defense team argues, their client can not be fairly tried and therefore must not be tried for murder.
A laughable argument, yes – it is the evidence against the suspect that matters, not who first brought news there was a murder that is important in determining guilt or innocence.
However, in a desperate and fuitile attempt to muddy the case in the minds of the public Trump partisans are demanding the “whistle blower” be unmasked.
And that is a dangerous tactic.
The law protects the right of any “whistle blower” who reports wrong doing in the Federal Government to remain anonymous precisely in order to prevent retaliation by wrong doers and their partisans. But the law can not guarantee a “whistle blower’s” safety once unmasked.
Given the intensity of Trump’s allies to protect him from any and all efforts, Impeachment or otherwise, to curb his ability to continue to do grievous harm to this Country and the people in it, who doubts that this “whistle blower” unmasked would be in physical danger from some of the president’s ardent supporters.
After all, Donald J Trump’s past encouragement of his supporters at campaign rallies to rough up protesters, his declaration they he would pay any legal fees they might incur when they do so, gives license to demented minds to use violence against those Trump brands as enemies. And he has certainly made it plain he considers this “Whistle Blower” a major enemy.
I say this.
If the “Whistle Blower” here is exposed against his/her will because of Trump’s Congressional supporters, Trump’s son or others, and any harm comes to the “Whistle Blower” or his family, they will have blood on their hands.
And there are millions of Americans who will never forgive them and never rest until they pay for their crime.