Donald Trump’s smears designed to silence would-be whistleblowers, experts warn

Top lawyers say Trump’s efforts to discredit anonymous Ukraine whistleblower sending a chill through US intelligence services.

David Colapinto, a prominent whistleblower lawyer who co-founded the National Whistleblower Center, said that these internal provisions and the lack of any external safeguards were a strong disincentive to anyone thinking about coming forward. “The system inherently has a chilling effect because it requires potential whistleblowers to identify themselves to their seniors and that can be career suicide.”