Trump placing whistleblower in 'physical danger', lawyer says

A lawyer for a whistleblower who triggered the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has sent a cease and desist letter to the White House.

In the letter, Andrew Bakaj writes that Mr Trump's "rhetoric and activity" place his client and family "in physical danger".

Undeterred by the letter, Mr Trump renewed his attacks on the whistleblower and his attorney.

The individual's identity has so far been fiercely guarded by Democrats.The whistleblower report was filed in August expressing concern over a call a month earlier between Mr Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, now a Democratic front-runner for the US presidential election next year.

In the letter, sent to White House counsel Pat Cipollone on Thursday, Mr Bakaj cites multiple examples of the president's "fixation" on the identity of the whistleblower in his comments to the media, at rallies and on Twitter.

"Such statements seek to intimidate my client - and they have," Mr Bakaj writes.

He continued: "Let me be clear: should any harm befall any suspected named whistleblower or their family, the blame will rest squarely with your client."Whistleblower 'a disgrace' - Trump
But on Friday morning at the White House, Mr Trump launched a fresh attack.

"The whistleblower is a disgrace to our country, a disgrace, and the whistleblower because of that should be revealed," he told reporters.

"And his lawyer who said the worst things possible two years ago, he should be sued, and maybe for treason."

Mr Trump may have been referring to the whistleblower's other attorney, Mark Zaid, who has been under fire from the president's allies.