White House Says Second Whistleblower Doesn't Matter: Here's Why

The White House is pushing back against the emergence of a second whistleblower in the impeachment inquiry against President Trump.

Over the weekend, the lawyer for the first whistleblower who lodged a complaint that triggered the House impeachment inquiry announced that a new whistleblower has spoken to the internal watchdog for the intelligence community.

Attorney Mark Zaid said the second whistleblower also works in intelligence and has first-hand knowledge about the president's effort to urge Ukraine to investigate his potential 2020 rival Joe Biden.

Zaid said his client has not filed a complaint with the inspector general, however.

The White House and other Republicans have been quick to push back on the news, saying the number of whistleblowers is insignificant.

A press secretary told ABC News, "It doesn't matter how many people decide to call themselves whistleblowers about the same telephone call – a call the president already made public."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is perhaps defending the president most strongly. He says the accusations against Trump look like a "political set-up" and said there was nothing wrong with his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

House Democrats pursuing the impeachment inquiry will continue to hear from witnesses this week. Two State Department experts on Ukraine are scheduled to appear, but it's unclear whether they will, given the objections from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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