The Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg has urged government employees concerned about Donald Trump's conduct to become whistleblowers.
Ellsberg told MSNBC show The Beat with Ari that President Trump was an "enemy of the Constitution" and said it was "not too late" for other people on the now-infamous Trump-Ukraine phone call to become whistleblowers.
The former defense analyst also said he believed the president was "calling for physical attack" against the Ukraine whistleblower, who Trump has called "close to a spy" after they raised concerns about his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ellsberg became one of the most famous whistleblowers in American history after he leaked the Pentagon Papers—secret documents revealing Defense Department lies to the American public about the Vietnam War.
His decision to hand the Pentagon Papers to the media was brought to the big screen in Oscar-nominated film The Post two years ago.
Speaking to host MSNBC host Ari Melber about advice he would give to government employees, Ellsberg said: "I'm absolutely sure, for one thing, the whistleblower revealed there were more than a dozen people on that call."
After describing President Trump as a "domestic enemy of the Constitution," Ellsberg added: "Every one of them should be a whistleblower now and it's not too late."
But he did note that blowing the whistle on Trump could prove to be risky, saying that he believed the president was "calling for physical attack" against the sole Ukraine whistleblower.
"He is calling for physical attack I would say. I think that's an impeachable offense or a criminal offense in itself," Ellsberg said.
The Pentagon Papers whistleblower also had a message for Democrats, urging them to keep the identity of the Ukraine whistleblower under wraps as they move ahead with the impeachment inquiry.
"Even following the rules, to challenge a president for wrongdoing is not safe, either physically or legally, and I hope that the Democrats in Congress...will take every precaution to keep [her or his] identity secret," Vietnam Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg tells @AriMelber pic.twitter.com/sEjYEn3IpT
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 8, 2019
The Washington Post reported Monday that House Democrats were considering hiding the whistleblower's identity from Trump's Republic allies in Congress.
"I congratulate this whistleblower on the success that they've had so far in getting that information out, and on the courage that he showed or she showed in taking this on," Ellsberg told MSNBC.
"Even following the rules to challenge a president for wrongdoing is not safe, physically or legally and I hope that the Democrats in Congress, in the House, will take every precaution his identity or her identity secret from the president."
Ellsberg's comments yesterday came as the Trump administration blocked U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland from testifying in front of the Democrat's impeachment inquiry.
The White House made its decision just hours before the ambassador was due to appear before legislators, in a move signaling the administration's unwillingness to cooperate with the impeachment probe.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
