KEY POINTS

  • Judicial Watch filed FOIA requests for the communications of CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella
  • The requests were filed in November
  • Ciaramella has not been identified as the whistleblower

A conservative watchdog has sued the CIA and the Justice Department for the communications of a CIA analyst believed to be the whistleblower whose report triggered the impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump.

The organization, Judicial Watch, has filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits against the CIA and the Justice Department for the communications between Eric Ciaramella and former FBI agent Peter Strzok, former FBI attorney Lisa Page, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, the Washington Examiner reported.

The FOIA requests were filed in November, and the group has also sought Ciaramella’s emails between June 1, 2016, and Nov. 12, 2019.

Donald Trump reckons that impeachment will help him to a second term next year, creating a wave of outrage on the right
Donald Trump reckons that impeachment will help him to a second term next year, creating a wave of outrage on the right AFP / Brendan Smialowski

The whistleblower has so far not been publicly identified but some Republican lawmakers have alleged that Ciaramella had filed the whistleblower complaint. The CIA analyst was the Ukraine director on the National Security Council at the end of the Obama administration. He had also worked closely with former Vice President Joe Biden, which has prompted Republican questions about neutrality.

President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for pressing his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during an April phone call to get dirt on Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden. The senior Biden leads the pack of Democratic presidential candidate hopefuls.

Separately, the Washington Post reported that the whistleblower, whose identity was not mentioned, is being driven to work by armed security when threats against him spike, often following tweets by President Trump.

“CIA operative Ciaramella is documented to be involved in the Russia collusion investigation, and was a key CIA operative on Ukraine in both the Obama and Trump White Houses," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in statement, as reported by the Washington Examiner. "Our lawsuits are designed to break through the unprecedented cover-up of his activities.”

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