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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums**Breaking** Trump's communications w foreign leader part of controversial whistleblower complaint
National Security
Trumps communications with foreign leader are part of whistleblower complaint that spurred standoff between spy chief and Congress, former officials say
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trumps-communications-with-foreign-leader-are-part-of-whistleblower-complaint-that-spurred-standoff-between-spy-chief-and-congress-former-officials-say/2019/09/18/df651aa2-da60-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
The whistleblower complaint that has triggered a tense showdown between the U.S. intelligence community and Congress involves President Trumps communications with a foreign leader, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Trumps interaction with the foreign leader included a promise that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver, but his direct involvement in the matter has not been previously disclosed. It raises new questions about the presidents handling of sensitive information and may further strain his relationship with U.S. spy agencies. One former official said the communication was a phone call.
Freethinker65
(10,061 posts)Actually I do not give a fuck what this asshole thinks about this
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)dchill
(38,546 posts)...for them. For now.
DENVERPOPS
(8,845 posts)Lindsey Graham didn't get that round mouth from sucking bananas or popsicles............
sandensea
(21,674 posts)It sure as hell isn't serving the good people of South Carolina.
TruckFump
(5,812 posts)After all, Trump owes his 2016 "win" to his pal Vlad.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)TruckFump
(5,812 posts)Even if I say so myself.
triron
(22,023 posts)Trump is a fucking traitor but the media is made up mostly of chickenshits afraid to say it.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,447 posts)saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)and rumpie will order our Treasury to pay the "gelt". imo
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,447 posts)ck4829
(35,091 posts)Perseus
(4,341 posts)Besides the pee tapes, I bet he owes Putin and Russian oligarchs a ton of money, and also another ton that was "given" to him to buy his loyalty.
TruckFump
(5,812 posts)...Putin's bitch.
Owned lock, stock and barrel. I say he defects to Russia when he loses in 2020.
gldstwmn
(4,575 posts)ecstatic
(32,733 posts)SayItLoud
(1,702 posts)I lean towards the prince cause he's got tons of $$$ and already helped bail out the Kushner Devil Building 666 Park Ave.
world wide wally
(21,755 posts)I think Trump may have promised him control of our armies
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I dont like the sound of that.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,176 posts)That's the first thing I thought of
Girard442
(6,085 posts)...and act accordingly. It's on him to prove otherwise, given his public behavior.
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)Surely, you jest! Trump not only never proves anything, he thumbs his nose at Congress, and has turned the Justice Department into his very own Roy Cohn.
Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)Last edited Thu Sep 19, 2019, 10:37 AM - Edit history (1)
<snip>
The dispute is expected to escalate Thursday when Atkinson is scheduled to appear before the House Intelligence Committee in a classified session closed to the public. The hearing is the latest move by committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) to compel U.S. intelligence officials to disclose the full details of the whistleblower complaint to Congress.
<snip>
The inspector general determined that this complaint is both credible and urgent, Schiff said in the statement released Wednesday evening. The committee places the highest importance on the protection of whistleblowers and their complaints to Congress.
The complaint was filed with Atkinsons office on Aug. 12, a date on which Trump was at his golf resort in New Jersey. White House records indicate that Trump had had conversations or interactions with at least five foreign leaders in the preceding five weeks.
Among them was a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the White House initiated on July 31.
</snip>
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Among them was a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the White House initiated on July 31. Trump also received at least two letters from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the summer, describing them as beautiful messages. In June, Trump said publicly that he was opposed to certain CIA spying operations against North Korea. Referring to a Wall Street Journal report that the agency had recruited Kims half-brother, Trump said, I would tell him that would not happen under my auspices.
Trump met with other foreign leaders at the White House in July, including the prime minister of Pakistan, the prime minister of the Netherlands, and the emir of Qatar.
Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)They use the term "urgent" and it involves a breach on Trump's part. This must be something pretty dramatic!
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)dalton99a
(81,599 posts)Desert grandma
(804 posts)is that 45 promised Putin he would hold up the funding Congress allotted for assisting other European countries that helps them to push back against Russian aggression. If he made that promise to Putin, then that is concerning. No wonder the whistle blower was so concerned.
Ilsa
(61,698 posts)on the $700+ billion, which he put under review. It cannot be doled out while under review, and if it isn't used by 9/30/19, the allocation is gone.
What's really scary is that there are so many scenarios from which to choose.
GusBob
(7,286 posts)Putin doesnt need anything from Trump
Putty is waaaaay ahead of the game and has Trump
Wrapped around his finger
He promised Kim not to spy or make waves on that
Otto kid who they killed
LudwigPastorius
(9,180 posts)in exchange for a nuclear deal.
...a move that would throw our allies under the bus and potentially destabilize the entirety of East Asia.
lame54
(35,326 posts)The spy we pulled from Russia
ck4829
(35,091 posts)superpatriotman
(6,252 posts)If they can be shit on and ignored?
ritapria
(1,812 posts)ck4829
(35,091 posts)BootinUp
(47,197 posts)ecstatic
(32,733 posts)Not in Jan 2021. NOW!
bluestarone
(17,058 posts)THIS is probably why tRUMP wants to always talk with putin with NO-ONE around!!!
gldstwmn
(4,575 posts)zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)Treason is very narrowly defined in the Constitution and Congress' tendency to not declare any sort of war is problematic in establishing treason, especially by cabinet officers and above.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Johnny2X2X
(19,118 posts)I hope the traitor pays a price.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)ck4829
(35,091 posts)Takket
(21,634 posts)was that HE didn't think it was "urgent". Something he has no legal right to declare.
Nail drumpf to the wall!
and if it is as bad as it sounds, the Dems must demand impeachment immediately. Come out strong and the people will follow.
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)And they're VERY poor "actors".
muntrv
(14,505 posts)That's why Barr told DNI not to forward info to intelligence committees.
Leghorn21
(13,526 posts)When I hear the word promise, I think of Helsinki, where it appeared that DF45 had promised to turn ex-Russian ambassador Michael McFaul over to Putin, and some people who had helped Bill Browder write the Magnitsky Act as well...but that was so long ago...
Anyway, have a really shitty night, all you traitorous motherfuckers
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)Throw another impeachable log on the bonfire.
malaise
(269,187 posts)ITTMF RFN!!!
There are checks and balances
Stop this fucking monster now.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Heavens. I hope to hell Schiff is as brilliant and tactical as I like to think he is in addressing this.
malaise
(269,187 posts)I am in a state of stunned incredulity and by now that should not happen
panader0
(25,816 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)years ago after our team blew out the English team.
Nevermypresident
(781 posts)a) the facts of the incident become public (whistleblower identity remains confidential)
b) that this will be the straw that breaks the conman's back?
kentuck
(111,110 posts)What was his promise?
What was so disturbing that two intel people went to the IG with it?
The House Committee has the right to that information.
I think it's time to send the Acting DNI a very nice letter. Give him some options.
The Congress has the power. They just have to use it.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)what powers do courts have.
Law will not enforce itself.
So who do courts send out to enforce their rulings on subpoenas, or just their rulings -- who forcibly collects the fines, makes the arrests, and where are the scofflaws detained.
The People's House and SCOTUS are stymied by law enforcement controlled by only one branch. The president's. The FBI won't act independently. The DNI won't act independently.
That's the current state of impotence in two branches of this government. Two and a half.
In that context, loyalties to the rule of men over oaths to the rule of law -- where the "acting" cabinet is led by one man under "privilege" claims -- adhering to law or the Constitution is only as good as its enforcement.
There is no power without enforcement of it.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)HiloHatti
(79 posts)The spotlight wouldnt have shined as brightly on this complaint and it would have been much easier to keep it a secret. Whats the Trump hiding (again).
W_HAMILTON
(7,873 posts)...that probably means they already know what the promise was and who it was made to -- why not just go ahead and report it all?
flotsam
(3,268 posts)stopdiggin
(11,372 posts)whispers and "second hand" sources don't cut it with something this serious.
ck4829
(35,091 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)to the wellbeing of the United States of America.
Gothmog
(145,619 posts)hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)Putin's all-out effort in getting Trump re-elected in 2020? Promising the names of other deep cover U.S. Agents in exchange for Putin delivering his re-election in 2020? Trump has to be worried about his re-election in 2020, and there's no doubt Trump would promise to betray our country for his re-election.
DENVERPOPS
(8,845 posts)Trump doesn't have to promise Putin anything to get his help throwing the election..........Putin is having the time of his life playing Trump and the Republicans in getting them to destroy the U.S. the way Russia was destroyed and the end of the cold war........If Putin were an American, he would be the head of the Republican Party..........
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)he isn't? The way Trump and the GOP act and react he certainly appears to be the head honcho of the republican party.
ck4829
(35,091 posts)GreenEyedLefty
(2,073 posts)BadgerMom
(2,771 posts)those are my bets for foreign leader. I mean, I guess it couldve been Netanyahu, but, nah.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)illegal, criminal activities. With tRump it is now perfected, they have the media, big money, the courts and the justice system sewn up and they are untouchable.
bluestarone
(17,058 posts)Open the door to ANY and ALL future subpoenas!!
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)ancianita
(36,137 posts)Inspector General informs him/her what the DNI has done or not done.
We don't know yet, whether the whistleblower has been officially informed by the IG.
oasis
(49,410 posts)This is HUGE!
world wide wally
(21,755 posts)Botany
(70,589 posts)The Russians and Putin had developed a way to hack into computers that were not
online and a good example of offline computers is voting machines and tabulators ...
* https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=12467288
... and that the Russians needed inside help to carry out those actions too.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)Botany
(70,589 posts)... for remote viewing of the data and data manipulation w/out leaving any "fingerprints."
To think that Putin spent all that time, money, and effort to study the hardware and
software of our voting machines, tabulators, and voter rolls but in the end not do
anything w/that knowledge and potential leverage is laughable.
I think what Schiff is after is "the Rosetta Stone" to understanding what happened in 2016.
Or then again I might be totally wrong.
*******
And remember we haven't been able to see the whole Mueller report yet.
The redacted version of the Mueller report provides a glimpse into the Oval Office on May 17, 2017, the day that special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to his position, as Trump reacted to the news of Mueller's new job from then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked."
https://www.axios.com/mueller-report-donald-trump-im-fucked-bbce610b-e46e-4889-9e80-2e2419d27f5b.html
ancianita
(36,137 posts)confirm that personnel are in place in every blue and battleground state, paid to do the remote hacking. Others are paid to provide advance "close" polling to provide plausibility of the results.
The FBI's mission of threat assessment had better gear up for this, as Schiff is.
I have no idea how this will play out in media, but some hardcore fight is underway.
Botany
(70,589 posts)I think exit polls had HRC winning Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina,
and Florida.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)ancianita
(36,137 posts)whistleblower be Mueller himself? It would have to be a pretty important "employee."
It's plausible that they falsely claim that the employee is in the intel community. Whistleblowers in the intel community don't get the same legal protections for whistleblowing that other govt employees get, which is why I doubt that employee is really in intel, though the process takes the IG's decision to the DNI.
Which is why I'm thinking Mueller or someone in the FBI sphere, which shares with intel, but isn't considered part of the intel agency system.
How could the process get to this point otherwise.
The hive mind reels with the possibilities.
Webhead
(15 posts)I think the whistleblower complaint was made in August, 2019.
If Mueller was a private citizen when the complaint was sent to the DNI, then I don't think the whistleblower law would have applied to a to Mueller, a private citizen.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)DENVERPOPS
(8,845 posts)This isn't really anything new to Putin. The Republicans had all the Computer voting "wired" in 2000 and from then on.
If a third grader can hack one of our voting machine in under five minutes that tells a lot............
Botany
(70,589 posts).... voting outcomes. Ever since "they" passed HAVA (help America vote act) which got
the majority of Americans voting on electronic machines we have seen a "red state shift"
in our voting that does not match the changes in demographics and what the majority
of America's societal wants. However Russia and with some inside help they took it
to a whole new level in 2016.
reACTIONary
(5,788 posts)... mental telepathy?
Takket
(21,634 posts)let's not forget drumpf stood right in the white house and gave classified intelligence to the russians without any pretense, and it didn't elicit this kind of response.
Schiff needs to expose this to the nation.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)anything he does. His loyalists are making sure that's the case, and will twist anything Schiff says into some "false flag" operation talk.
Who controls enforcement of law and security on the people's behalf.
I don't know anymore.
TxVietVet
(1,905 posts)Enough Conservanazis in Congress support tRumps violation of law because the GOPers want the power of the Senate and the presidency.
My guess is the shit gibbon tRump talked to Putin and told him hed stop any US Military activity having to do with Russias violation of the Ukraine.
TREASON.
If this issue is ignored or blocked, the conservanazi Republican Party are complicit in this act of TREASON.
MFM008
(19,820 posts)1. PUTIN
Saudi prince
Kim jung un.
See number 1
LenaBaby61
(6,979 posts)Oh well .....
ck4829
(35,091 posts)Enoki33
(1,588 posts)of corruption when we finally get the full picture is going to be comparable to organized international crime families. The other aspect will be the actual betrayal of this country, which is going to be mind boggling because the full extent of it will probably never be fully known. We have a traitor in the Whitehouse who is incrementally selling our country to facilitate a potential dictatorship and family dynasty. The president is the greatest national security risk we have ever faced. We are no longer a functioning democracy and that is why the traitors are not yet behind bars.
Doodley
(9,135 posts)ck4829
(35,091 posts)EveHammond13
(2,855 posts)Fan of Da Bearse
(75 posts)xInfinity!
Webhead
(15 posts)If Trump's promise in some way places the U.S. in jeopardy, then the whistleblower should come forward.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)Then s/he can go to Schiff and Congress.
We'll have to wait.
Webhead
(15 posts)... if Trump's promise represents a real danger to the U.S., couldn't the whistleblower let Schiff know the details on the QT?
ancianita
(36,137 posts)Would they be fired for illegally ignoring the process I laid out? Would they be arrested once they've lost whistleblower law protections?
Who would stop the prez or DOJ from arresting that person.
If Schiff knew that info from the secret meeting, what could Schiff do with "urgent and credible" info he's illegally holding. What could the public do if Schiff announced it. Can Congress act to stop whatever danger is revealed? Do they have police and/or military enforcement against the chief enforcement officer of the country?
Let's get beyond Schiff's possession of the info, and consider just what Schiff can do even if he legally gets the whistleblower's info.
The reality of presidential behavior and control of any information about it, looks to me to be way ahead of any remedies from the people's house. There's no one else to control law enforcement but him and his lackeys in the DOJ and "acting" cabinet.
Webhead
(15 posts)...can send the report legally to Schiff and Senate counterpart after notifying DNI of his/her intent to do so.
Schiff should know this, and will respond to the DNI preventing to reveal the complaint in the closed-door meeting today .
I don't know how to appropriately reference a tweet here since I do not tweet and I am new here.
I am hopeful I can quote as follows without breaking rules:
Lawrence Tribe
It appears that the employee whistleblower may lawfully transmit the report in question directly to @RepAdamSchiff and his Senate counterpart upon notifying the DNI of the employees intent to do so when the DNI bottles up that report.
7:07 PM - 18 Sep 2019
Yeah, Trump tells Lewandowski and the others that he will pardon them if they lie to Congress or even fail to appear when a subpoena is issued.
The ultimate arbitrator of Trump when there is a Republican-controlled Senate preventing action is the voter in 2020.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)Schiff has allowed the IG to bottle up this info.
He knows that having the intel won't be enough. He'll have to do something about it. I just don't think he should take a week to figure that out.
Doodley
(9,135 posts)Webhead
(15 posts)Trump can kill the whistleblower on Fifth Avenue, and get away with it. Trump could even record the deed and include it in one of his tweets.
mudstump
(342 posts)Doodley
(9,135 posts)I would be shocked if he doesn't make improper promises and spills US intelligence to every hostile leader he has any contact with. All they have to do is flatter him and say they like him and he hands over another piece of America.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,869 posts)Horse with no Name
(33,956 posts)This is a huge story and these traitors are murderous thugs
dem4decades
(11,304 posts)jeffreyi
(1,945 posts)Stuart G
(38,449 posts)4/ Understand what it'd take for an intel community official to go whistleblowerthis couldn't have been a garden-variety public faux pas. It had to be a clandestine act discovered through intelligence collection that bordered on the criminal or threatened U.S. national security.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)anything--basically promoting the Barr/Trump premise that he is untouchable no matter what. Yet any Intelligence official who turned whistleblower knows that and was still alarmed enough to put themselves at tremendous risk, both careerwise and otherwise (!) to follow the very specific legal mechanism to bring this to the attention of Congress. There is no way, IMO, this is an "explainable" or less than the most highly serious issue that puts our very democracy at risk. No way...
Stuart G
(38,449 posts).."Yet any Intelligence official who turned whistleblower knows that and was still alarmed enough to put themselves at tremendous risk, both careerwise and otherwise ! to follow the very specific legal mechanism to bring this to the attention of Congress. "
......".There is no way that this is "explainable" or less than ....the most highly serious issue that puts our very democracy at risk. No way..."
Your words say it all.....This is not some sort of " nothing comment"...Whoever the whistleblower is, he/she knows how important this is....
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Some completely random dates in chronological order:
Jul 31: Trump has shady undisclosed call with Putin about "forest fires." (It was about "normalizing" relations.)
Aug 8: Coats and Gordon out at DNI
Aug 12: Maguire in at DNI
Also Aug 12: Whistleblower complains to ICIG
Link to tweet
kentuck
(111,110 posts)He had invited the Taliban to Camp David.
A few days later, John Bolton was fired.
???
muriel_volestrangler
(101,368 posts)who could then block the whistleblower's complaint ...
Even if Coats' resignation was genuine, the normal order of succession was for Gordon to take over,, and, failing her, Beth Sanner:
(a) Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Intelligence Integration;
(b) Director of the National Counterterrorism Center;
(c) National Counterintelligence Executive; and
(d) Inspector General of the Intelligence Community.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/09/25/2013-23545/designation-of-officers-of-the-office-of-the-director-of-national-intelligence-to-act-as-director-of
https://www.dni.gov/index.php/who-we-are/leadership/assistant-deputy-dni-intelligence-integration
But Trump explicitly overrode the normal line of succession to get Maguire in there.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Link to tweet
Full unrolled thread: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1174515385204445184.html (it may be easier to read at that link, but here is most of it) :
2. I'll first outline the best argument for Trump. The President enjoys wide latitude in foreign affairs. When it comes to the "outside world," the President represents the sovereign:He is basically the voice of the United States and can negotiate with world leaders on its behalf
3. I wrote about this very early on in the context of Trump's possible defense to obstruction charges involving Russia, which is also relevant here
Could Trump Really Say He Fired Comey in the Service of Foreign Policy?
Trumps motive laundering could turn out to be a brilliant legal strategyor just brilliantly stupid.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/23/trump-comey-russia-obstruction-of-justice-foreign-policy-215179
4. There is a separation of powers argument here: The President should be able to have confidential and diplomatic communications with other heads of state without undue interference from Congress: World leaders should feel secure that their convos won't be made public
5. HAVING SAID THAT -- there are limitations. First, as @jedshug has written (also in context of obstruction of justice), the President has a fiduciary obligation to act in the *best interests of the United States*. In other words, he cannot abuse his powers for personal gain
mentions
6. Further, the "slice" of his "exclusive" Art. II powers is fairly narrow. Congress does have a say, for instance, whether we go to war in the absence of an emergency defensive action. It can also say that certain types of foreign policy actions are illegal
mentions
7. So, for instance, while President Reagan might have argued that his actions in Iran Contra were in the best interest of the U.S. (preventing spread of Communism), they were nevertheless in violation of the Boland Amendment and still illegal
mentions
8. In fact, much of the extensive congressional oversight over intelligence functions stems from things like Iran Contra -- you want to balance POTUS' foreign affairs/nat sec powers with transparency, individual rights (e.g., warrantless wiretapping after 9/11),and accountability
mentions
9. The ICWPA tries to balance these interests in the context of nat sec/classified information: It makes the whistleblower go to an independent entity (agency IG or ICIG) to basically "vet" the complaint and make sure it is urgent
mentions
10. The IG has to look at the complaint, determine that it is credible, and that it is urgent: That it is "[a] serious or flagrant problem, abuse, violation of law or Executive order, or deficiency relating to to...an intelligence activity involving classified information"
mentions
11. I direct you to an excellent resource from @NatlSecCnslrs who wrote an excellent Q&A on the statute for @just_security here
Q&A on Whistleblower Complaint Being Withheld from Congressional Intelligence Committees
A look at the issues at play with the acting director of national intelligence refusing to turn over a whistleblower complaint to Congress.
https://www.justsecurity.org/66211/qa-on-whistleblower-complaint-being-withheld-from-congressional-intelligence-committees/
mentions
12. Note that under the definition of "urgent," the complaint cannot simply be a difference in policy opinion. And the IG is an independent entity making the determination that it is serious enough to come to the attention of Congress
mentions
13. This IG is a *Trump appointee* as @EricColumbus astutely notes
mentions
14. Sooooo...we're basically left with the fact that a Trump appointee, found this complaint to be "urgent," meaning that it is not merely a policy dispute, beyond the broad Art. II foreign affairs authority POTUS enjoys, and likely illegal -- and which Congress must look at
mentions
15. I will leave you with my evergreen piece on the two main issues the Framers were concerned about wrt to the POTUS: Self dealing and foreign influence
mentions Sorry, wrong link for my piece (but Eric's tweet is worth a second read! 😂
Trumps Moscow Deal Is Exactly What the Framers Worried About
Self-dealing and foreign influence were their biggest fears for the presidency.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/03/donald-trumps-moscow-deal-framers-222752
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Obviously, anyone in the government can file a whistleblower complaint. They can be frivolous or nonsensical. But the Inspector General determined it was serious and of a pressing nature. Atkinson was nominated to the position by President Trump in 2018 but he appears to be a career government lawyer. He worked at DOJ for 15 years prior to his nomination.
The decision to withhold the information from Congress was made by acting DNI Joseph Maguire, whos in that position after the dismissal of Dan Coats. But the Post suggests that its not actually Maguires choice. The Department of Justice told him to withhold the information from Congress.
It sounds like something pretty serious is up here.
DFW
(54,445 posts)Well, at least that part rings true. If they had said it was an exchange of written notes, there is no way Trump could have been involved.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,311 posts)Vinca
(50,310 posts)been deemed "nothing to see here" by the Acting DNI and Hitman Barr. If that's the case, the whistleblower could be toast, too. If the matter is much ado about nothing, there are no protections for the whistleblower. Congress needs to stop fucking around and take this to court today. Forget next week's hearing the Acting DNI. Anyone with a dozen brain cells can describe right now how that is going to go. It seems like everyone is tap dancing and the music is "Don't Step On Anyone's Toesies."
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)to protect intelligence whistleblowers and thus, there is no judicial review. I have been nauseous all morning with this realization. I can scarcely even write about it.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)ffr
(22,672 posts)He's emboldened by McConnell to skirt national security, so why not toss in the sink too!
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)Given there is no judicial review for this statute (the intent was to protect intelligence info)
Link to tweet
rdking647
(5,113 posts)its time for congress to start locking some people up. and if the leadership is to scared to do it stand aside and let others do it for them
enough is enough
Farmer-Rick
(10,212 posts)Hmmm, strange that the same thing came out around the 20th of last month.
Old news to hide more traitorous acts?
MasonDreams
(756 posts)And Reagan made a deal with Iran to keep the hostages so he could get elected.
Whatever it is, it is not new. This is how repukes roll.
hlthe2b
(102,379 posts)**NEW** Whistleblower complaint about President Trump involves Ukraine (WAPO)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212477831