Mark Zaid, a lawyer for the whistleblower at the center of unfurling Ukraine scandal, wasn’t going to let Fox News host Laura Ingraham have the last word.
In a Thursday night Twitter thread, Zaid specifically took issue with Ingraham’s claim during her show Wednesday night that he had previously represented Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton.
“To use coined phrase: FAKE NEWS!” Zaid tweeted. “To be clear, at no time have I ever represented Senator Schumer or Secretary Clinton. Ever. Never.”
Zaid tweeted that Ingraham had confused him with his colleague, Andrew Bakaj, who interned for Schumer and Clinton nearly 20 years ago in college. Zaid added that partisans such as Ingraham are “trying to smear the legal team as some liberal opposition” despite how he’s “never been anything other than a registered Independent and proud of it.”
Trump has recently come under fire from the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, top House Democrats and even Fox News personalities for his attempts to discredit the whistleblower who raised concerns about Trump’s July call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky involving efforts to drum up bogus allegations against Joe and Hunter Biden.
Read Zaid’s tweet thread below:
2/To be clear, at no time have I ever represented Senator Schumer or Secretary Clinton. Ever. Never.
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
4/ The partisans are trying to smear the legal team as some liberal opposition. We are anything but that. I've never been anything other than registered Independent & proud of it.
We pursue the rule of law.
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
6/I also sued late John Murtha (D-PA) in defamation case re: #Haditha.
That case will adversely impact any effort by @RudyGiuliani to sue Members of Congress. https://t.co/yhDnDea2bx
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
8/As the @ABAesq Journal wrote nearly 20 years ago early in my legal career, I'm a "gadfly" that's out to "pierce the sides of suit jackets bearing both elephants and donkeys on the lapels."
I go after every Administration, regardless of who holds political office or party. pic.twitter.com/hiG6xRXJSX
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
10/ I've testified before Congress on #whistleblowers, #warcrimes, #classifiedleaks, #anthraxvaccine & #polygraphs.
Sometimes I was the DEM witness. Sometimes I was the GOP witness.
Regardless, I testified about topic within my expertise & testimony would be same either way.
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
12/I understand @jaketapper at @CNN reported my client's pol bias, as stated in @ODNIgov IG memo, was nothing more than #whistleblower registered Democrat. We won't comment on identifying info but if true, give me a break! Bias? Seriously? Most ppl are.https://t.co/d3ZNeOK9n0
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
END/Our representation is to ensure #whistleblower laws followed properly & client is protected from reprisal – from anyone. They have been, as acknowledged repeatedly by @ODNIgov & ICIG, both #Trump appointees.
Partisanship not involved. Don't let anyone argue differently.
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) October 3, 2019
A few hours after Zaid’s fiery Thursday night Twitter thread, Ingraham issued a correction where she confirmed that she misidentified Zaid for Bakaj.
Watch Ingraham issue her correction below:
This is where it gets really dicey for the Fox employees. Who to support? where to lean? Think, think! Damn it.
Laura Scuttler (as in cockroach) offered a correction? Did she have had her meds reformulated or something? That’s not very FOX-like.
Smear first, correct (sometimes) later.
Ummm … boom, Ingraham.
CNN replaced her with a clone. The clone actually has a brain, unlike the original version.
Or did Fox make her offer the correction? Did she pull a Trump and have her producer tweet the correction? Anyhoo Laura got put back on the wrong foot.