What 'Whistleblower' Means

A lawyer said over the weekend that the person he represents is ready to answer questions from Republicans on an American congressional committee.

Lawyer Mark Zaid's comments appeared Sunday on Twitter. Zaid represents a whistleblower connected to an American intelligence element. The individual expressed concern about a discussion between American President Donald Trump¹ and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The leaders' telephone call in July has led to a congressional investigation². The whistleblower reported that the president had pressed Ukraine to investigate former U.S. Vice³ President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Joe Biden is seeking nomination⁴ to become the Democratic Party presidential candidate for the 2020 election.

Zaid said that the only questions the whistleblower will refuse to answer concern his or her identity.

So, what is a whistleblower?

The word sounds like it means a person directing a game, or a police officer directing traffic. Those people often has a device called a whistle, which makes a loud sound when you blow air through it. The sound of the whistle is usually a sign that someone has violated a rule.

But, "blow the whistle" can also mean to tell police, reporters or officials about something that has been kept secret -- like a possible crime.

"Whistleblower" is an official term that means someone who exposes wrongdoing with an aim to put a stop to it.

Historically, whistleblowers have done an important job in stopping government corruption⁵ and abuse. Whistleblowers enjoy legal protections under U.S. laws.

Members of Congress support whistleblowing in order to limit waste, lying and abuse or misuse⁶ of power in government. Lawmakers have created ways for government workers to make official declarations of wrongdoing. Whistleblowers can take their reports to someone empowered to deal with them, or directly to a lawmaker.

Congress also protects whistleblowers by making sure their supervisors⁷ do not take action against them. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Congress passed additional laws to urge people who work for intelligence groups to report issues of "urgent concern." If the issue is believed to be serious, it must be reported to Congress.

The current whistleblower's identity has not been made public. But Trump has repeatedly suggested it is a man who worked for the Obama administration. Trump has called the whistleblower a "traitor⁸" who deserves to be dealt with severely⁹.

Lawyer Mark Zaid tweeted Sunday that the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee could ask questions, which the whistleblower would answer "in writing."

The president said on social media Monday that written answers are not good enough. "What I said on the phone call with the Ukrainian President is ‘perfectly' stated, Trump tweeted. "There is no reason to call witnesses to analyze¹⁰ my words and meaning," he said.rite¹¹ to us in the Comments Section

Words in This Story

expose - v. to make public something hidden or dishonest

impeachment¹² – n. the action of bringing legal action against a public official for a crime

traitor – n. a person who is not loyal to his or her own country, friends, etc.; a person who betrays a country or group of people by helping¹³ or supporting an enemy

analyze – v. to examine

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

7 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

8 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

9 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

10 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

11 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

12 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。