Trump lost control and ordered me to be ‘quiet’ in the Oval Office. Then it got personal

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance used an Oval Office event to launch a tip line offering whistleblowers rewards of up to $30,000 for reporting fraud, and the session turned hostile toward Andrew Feinberg of The Independent after he challenged the premise. Feinberg says he was insulted by the president, the White House rapid response account and Vance.

The ceremony recognized YouTuber Nick Shirley, whose videos preceded the administration's campaign against Minnesota day-care and home health businesses tied to Somali-Americans. Speakers presented paying informants as a novelty. Feinberg pointed out that the False Claims Act, dating to 1883, already lets whistleblowers file qui tam suits and collect up to a quarter of recovered money, far above the 1 percent Trump cited. Asked why anyone would choose the new program, Trump answered that it involved a lot of money. Vance then called the question dishonest and suggested some frauds fall outside that law, which Feinberg says is false.

Trump next asked Feinberg who he was, warned him to be careful, and, after more mix-ups over whom he was calling on, labeled him a "sick person."

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →