FBI wants to interview Ukraine whistleblower after Justice Department punt

by Laura Clawson

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 at 7:00:10am PST

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 11: U.S. President Donald Trump makes a statement on the census with Attorney General William Barr in the Rose Garden of the White House on July 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. PresidentÂ Trump, who had previously pushed to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, announced that he would direct the Commerce Department to collect that data in other ways. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) — Donald Trump and William Barr

The FBI wants to interview the whistleblower who drew attention to Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 elections, though the whistleblower hasn’t yet agreed to such an interview.

Yahoo News reports that FBI officials were concerned that the Justice Department’s investigation of the whistleblower complaint just focused on whether Trump had committed campaign finance violations, without looking into the other issues raised by the call. Some at the FBI “chafed at a Justice Department move they believed was aimed at shutting down any inquiry at all, especially into potential counterintelligence issues raised by the allegations, according to a former senior U.S intelligence official who has discussed the matter with current FBI counterintelligence agents.”

The counterintelligence concerns include Rudy Giuliani’s involvement with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, and the possibility that they may have been manipulated by Russia.

Add this to the list of cases where the Justice Department under William Barr has covered for Trump rather than serving the American people.