The inspector general for the intelligence community reportedly told a House panel last week that the whistleblower who complained about President Trump’s Ukraine phone call had a professional relationship with one of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

At the closed-door Friday hearing, Michael Atkinson revealed the detail under questioning from House intelligence committee Republicans, according to the Washington Examiner.

The Tuesday evening report by Byron York quoted three sources for the revelation, all identified as a “person with knowledge of what was said.”

“The IG said [the whistleblower] worked or had some type of professional relationship with one of the Democratic candidates,” one of the sources told the Examiner.

One of the other two sources, who gave the Examiner very similar quotes, elaborated that the ties with the 2020 Democratic hopeful was a “prior working relationship.”

All three sources told the Examiner that Mr. Atkinson did not name the Democratic candidate nor elaborate on what the working relationship had been.

Mr. Atkinson had previously disclosed that the whistleblower had “an arguable political bias” of an unspecified nature, though he added in his Aug. 26 letter on the complaint that he thought the claim “appears credible” regardless.

That didn’t stop Mr. Trump from taking to Twitter on Tuesday evening to crow about the Examiner report.

“Wow, Just Breaking: ‘The (big deal) Whistleblower had a ‘PROFESSIONAL TIE’ to 2020 Democratic Candidate.’ Washington Examiner, @ByronYork. In other words, was working with someone who was potentially running against me. Why wasn’t this reported by the ICIG? A Witch Hunt Scam!” he wrote.

Wow, Just Breaking: “The (big deal) Whistleblower had a ‘PROFESSIONAL TIE’ to 2020 Democratic Candidate.” Washington Examiner, @ByronYork In other words, was working with someone who was potentially running against me. Why wasn’t this reported by the ICIG? A Witch Hunt Scam! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2019

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.