There is new information about a whistleblower’s claim that is bringing a top intelligence official to Capitol Hill for closed-door testimony. The identity of the whistleblower and the contents of their report remain a mystery — but we do know that the Inspector General for the intelligence community, who will testify Thursday, concluded the August complaint was credible enough to be considered an “urgent concern.”
The Washington Post reported Wednesday night that an interaction between President Trump and a foreign leader is at the center of the whistleblower report, which included a “promise” that was “so troubling” that it prompted the U.S. intelligence official to come forward.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has issued a subpoena to obtain the whistleblower’s complaint. But the Acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, is refusing to hand over the report for now.
Maguire said he determined the allegations did not merit “urgent concern,” and since they relate to a person outside the intelligence community, he is not required to pass them along to Capitol Hill.
Schiff pointed out that this is the first time a Director of National Intelligence has overruled a determination from the Inspector General, and raised concerns that the refusal may be a sign of a cover-up to protect the president.
Schiff said Sunday on “Face the Nation” that it’s fair to assume the report involves “the president, or people around him, or both.”
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