Donald Trump Jr. condemned for tweeting alleged whistleblower's name despite death threats
Donald Trump Jr. is throwing caution to the wind at someone else's expense.
Credible mainstream media sources have so far refused to speculate on the name of the whistleblower who launched President Trump's Ukraine scandal, especially because the whistleblower's lawyer has warned of possibly violent consequences for their yet-unnamed client. But that didn't stop the president's son from tweeting out the name right-wing sites are circulating on Wednesday, ignoring any death threats against the whistleblower that come with it.
The whistleblower's concerns originated with a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump seems to tell Zelensky he won't get U.S. aid money unless he investigates the 2016 U.S. election and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. The whistleblower report eventually turned into an official impeachment inquiry into Trump, and testifying witness have since corroborated the whistleblower's outline of a quid pro quo between Trump and Zelensky.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While one New York Times report did hint at the whistleblower's identity, a name has been publicized by right-wing sources, with Trump's son now even getting involved, despite whistleblower protection laws. The whistleblower's lawyer didn't acknowledge if that name was correct in a Wednesday statement, but did explicitly condemn Trump Jr. and other sources for explicitly furthering a dialogue that "will simply place that individual and their family at risk of serious harm." Kathryn Krawczyk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Political cartoons for November 18Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include MTG's marching band, AI data centers, Trump's fat cat friends, and more
-
What a rising gold price says about the global economyThe Explainer Institutions, central banks and speculators drive record surge amid ‘loss of trust’ in bond markets and US dollar
-
‘Laughing stock’: Anthony Joshua’s £140m bout with Jake PaulTalking Point Boxing fans have expressed concerns the YouTuber may not survive the fight with British heavyweight
-
Affordability: Does Trump have an answer?Feature Trump ‘refuses to admit there is a problem’
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
-
Trump pivots on Epstein vote amid GOP defectionsSpeed Read The president said House Republicans should vote on a forced release of the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files
-
Is Marjorie Taylor Greene undergoing a political realignment?TALKING POINTS The MAGA firebrand made a name for herself in Congress as one of Trump’s most unapologetic supporters. One year into Trump’s second term, a shift is afoot.
-
How are these Epstein files so damaging to Trump?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Republicans and Democrats release dueling tranches of Epstein-related documents, the White House finds itself caught in a mess partially of its own making
-
Will California tax its billionaires?Talking Points A proposed one-time levy would shore up education and Medicaid
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
