It's worse than you think. The New York Times is reporting that a mysterious intelligence community whistleblower complaint doesn't involve just one phone call between Donald Trump and a foreign leader, but rather a string of events in which Trump transgressed.
The intelligence community inspector general (IG) told House Intelligence Committee members Thursday that the complaint was "related to a series of actions that goes beyond any single discussion with a foreign leader," writes the Times. However, IG Michael Atkinson declined to get into specifics surrounding the whistleblower complaint because the director of national intelligence (DNI) had withheld the information from Congress and had not authorized the IG to disclose it to lawmakers. Both the White House and the Department of Justice have reportedly advised acting DNI Joseph Maguire not to share the information with Congress as is statutorily required by the Whistleblower Protection Act. In other words, the White House is running interference on behalf of the target of the complaint: the president.
In part, the complaint reportedly involves a promise or a commitment that Trump made to a foreign leader. But the new revelation that the complaint covers multiple acts raises the stakes of the episode from a disturbing incident to more of a premeditated full-fledged scandal. One slip-up, as bad as it may be, is a problem. But multiple acts suggest a pattern of misconduct.
Although IG Atkinson didn't believe he had the authority to share details of the complaint with lawmakers, the letter he sent to House Intelligence Adam Schiff on Sept. 17 sounded a bit like he felt he was being held hostage by the DNI's handling of the complaint and Justice Department guidance not to share the information with Congress.
Atkinson notes that he strenuously disagrees with "DOJ's analysis of the facts" in the case. He also writes that the "subject matter involved in the complainant’s disclosure not only falls within the DNI’s jurisdiction, but relates to one of the most significant and important of the DNI’s responsibilities to the American people.”
In other words, it's urgent.
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