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When Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus comes to whether someone qualifies as a whistleblower, the distinctions being drawn between first - and second-hand knowledge aren't legal ones, senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus's just not part of whistleblower protection law or any agency policy. Complaints based on second-hand information should not be rejected out of hand, but they do require additional leg work to get at the facts and evaluate the claim's credibility.