Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

The New York Times on Thursday published new details on the whistleblower who revealed that US President Donald Trump sought foreign help for his re-election.

According to the report, the whistleblower is a CIA officer who was detailed to work at the White House at one point.

Three people familiar with his identity told the newspaper that the man has since returned to the CIA and that little else is known about him. His complaint made public Thursday suggested he was an analyst by training and made clear he was steeped in details of American foreign policy toward Europe, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of Ukrainian politics and at least some knowledge of the law.

The whistleblower’s expertise will likely add to lawmakers’ confidence about the merits of his complaint, and tamp down allegations that he might have misunderstood what he learned about Trump.

Lawyers for the whistleblower refused to confirm that he worked for the CIA and said that publishing information about him was dangerous.

The CIA. referred questions to the inspector general for the intelligence agencies. A spokeswoman for the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, said that protecting the whistle-blower was his office’s highest priority.

“We must protect those who demonstrate the courage to report alleged wrongdoing, whether on the battlefield or in the workplace,” Maguire said at a hearing on Thursday, adding that he did not know the whistleblower’s identity.

On Wednesday, CNN reported that the anonymous whistleblower has tentatively agreed to meet with congressional lawmakers.

The New York Times noted that the whistleblower did not listen directly to a July call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate allegations of corruption against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.

On Wednesday, the White House released the full, unredacted transcript of Trump's phone conversation with Zelensky in which he brought up the matter of allegations against Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great,” Trump said. Zelensky responded that he would appoint a new prosecutor general who would look into the matter of the company Hunter Biden had been on the board of.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced formal impeachment proceedings against Trump over allegations that he threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine unless its government investigated actions by Biden.