NEW: Whistleblower protection laws may fall short in face of Trump's attacks, experts say. Currently, the only official obligated to protect identity is the ICIG. So if Trump learns the name, "it’s within his power" to reveal it, says @mcculloughirvin: politico.com/news/2019/10/0…
@mcculloughirvin House Democrats negotiating for the whistleblower’s testimony have been considering extreme measures to protect their identity, which could technically be revealed by Trump and his allies with little/no legal consequence, experts say. That includes Trump's congressional allies.
@mcculloughirvin Members of Congress can be held accountable for violating congressional rules, by being censured, for example. But lawmakers “can’t be legally held accountable for their official actions by any other tribunal,” said @NatlSecCnslrs. politico.com/news/2019/10/0…
@mcculloughirvin @NatlSecCnslrs The Privacy Act, which does not apply to the WH, might prohibit other exec branch officials from revealing the whistleblower’s identity, according to @NatlSecCnslrs. But finding them liable in court “would be extremely problematic because the Privacy Act is full of loopholes.”
