Late Wednesday news broke that a whistleblower had filed a complaint at the DNI regarding something extremely serious - allegations that Donald Trump made a "promise" to a foreign leader. We do not know what the promise is or who it was made to - or if that reporting is correct.
Thursday the House Intelligence Committee brought Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for various IC agencies, in for a closed door briefing. Unfortunately, he was not willing (or able) to provide much help due to orders from above (DOJ and / or the White House).
But, we did get more details. The New York Times is now reporting that this case may be even more explosive than originally thought.
If the reporting is true, the whistleblower's complaint is related to a "series of actions" involving Donald Trump and related to numerous discussions, not just one. Atkinson told the House Intelligence Committee that "the complaint was related to multiple acts:, although he declined to provide any additional specifics, such as confirmation that it involved the President" (duh, of course it did).
Someone with knowledge of the whistleblower’s complaint told The New York Times that it "involves in part a commitment that Mr. Trump made in a communication with another world leader." This goes along with reporting from the Washington Post regarding a possible "promise" of some sort.
The complaint was deemed "credible and urgent" by Mr. Atkinson and so he brought it to the House Intelligence Committee's attention, as required by law. Trump's "acting" Director of Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, stepped in and blocked disclosure to the Committee, in defiance of the law that says it "shall be" given to Congress. This is yet another coverup by the most corrupt administration in history. But, this is critical intelligence that cannot be delayed for 6 months while it winds through the courts, and indeed, should not go to court at all.
Representative Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, talked to reporters after the briefing and said the following:
He went on to say that the House's General Counsel is currently exploring legal remedies to force the release of the whistle-blower complaint.
To be clear, Trump can speak to any foreign leader he wants. It becomes an issue if he makes promises that put the interest of other nations in front of America's or if he puts his own personal interests first. And that may be exactly what he did - multiple times.
This is a fast-moving story and we will update it, either in this post or in a new one, as more details come to light.
UPDATE: (Karoli)
The whistleblowing apparently involves Ukraine, which suggests to me that there must have been a quid pro quo suggested in exchange for digging dirt up on Biden's son.
The Washington Post reports:
A whistleblower complaint about President Trump made by an intelligence official centers on Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has set off a struggle between Congress and the executive branch.
The complaint involved communications with a foreign leader and a “promise” that Trump made, which was so alarming that a U.S. intelligence official who had worked at the White House went to the inspector general of the intelligence community, two former U.S. officials said.
Two and a half weeks before the complaint was filed, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian and political newcomer who was elected in a landslide in May.
That call is already under investigation by House Democrats who are examining whether Trump and his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to manipulate the Ukrainian government into helping Trump’s reelection campaign. Lawmakers have demanded a full transcript and a list of participants on the call.
