Trump Attacks Whistle-Blower’s Sources and Alludes to Punishment for Spies – The New York Times

“Nancy’s trying to IMPEACH my father for nothing!” Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, wrote in a text message about Speaker Nancy Pelosi as he asked supporters to join an Impeachment Defense Team on Mr. Trump’s behalf. He said any donations would be doubled. Another of the president’s sons, Eric, said on Twitter that the online warfare over impeachment had netted his father’s re-election campaign $8.5 million from small-dollar donors over the course of two days.

At the White House, a staff member in charge of messaging high-profile supporters, Julia Hahn, sent out back-to-back emails saying the whistle-blower’s report was “based on hearsay,” while the Republican National Committee pushed out a message with the headline that “the witch hunt is back on.”

At the mission, some in the crowd laughed at Mr. Trump’s comment, the person briefed on what took place said. The event was closed to reporters, and during his remarks, the president called the news media “scum” and labeled them crooked. The ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Knight Craft, was in the room.

Mr. Trump spoke as the acting director of national intelligence was testifying before Congress about the whistle-blower.

At a fund-raiser at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan immediately after the event at the mission, Mr. Trump walked out before the crowd of several hundred donors and said, clutching paper in one of his hands, “This is the call.” He then said it was “the greatest thing” to happen to the Republican Party because it had raised so much money off the controversy.

Aboard Air Force One on the way back to Washington on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump grew angry after watching televised news coverage about the whistle-blower, staff members said. Just before landing, Mr. Trump took to Twitter and again said the whistle-blower had “second hand information” and called the inquiry “Another Witch Hunt!” On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Mr. Trump was in no mood to take questions.