The whistleblower who sparked a political firestorm after claiming that President Trump pressed Ukraine’s leader to re-open an inquiry into Hunter Biden’s business dealings is represented by national security lawyer Mark Zaid, a frequent Trump critic, as well as Andrew Bakaj, who worked for former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced on Tuesday that the whistleblower expressed a desire to speak to the committee and confirmed that lawmakers are speaking to his or her counsel. Schiff added that the testimony could come as “soon as this week”
The announcement sparked questions about the lawyers representing the whistleblower. Andrew P. Bakaj, a former CIA official and founding/partnering manager of the Washington DC-based Compass Rose Legal Group, is one of the attorneys representing the whistleblower. He and the firm specialize in “adverse security clearance actions, whistleblower activities, and individuals, corporations, and organizations who are facing criminal and/or administrative investigations.”
Yahoo News notes that he “left the CIA in 2014 after facing professional retaliation for trying to work with intelligence community whistleblowers,” and the Washington Times describes him as a “vindicated whistleblower.”
The firm’s website details Bakaj’s past work as a private practice attorney in the nation’s capital and highlights his experience on Capitol Hill, working for three senators: late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), as well as Schumer and Clinton. – READ MORE