What happens when the administration won't tell Congress about a whistleblower complaint regarding the president? The answer to the once hard-to-fathom question is complicated.
For years, lawmakers have argued that intelligence personnel concerned about government actions — like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning — should go through formal whistleblower channels instead of illegally leaking government secrets.
The dispute centers on a mysterious whistleblower complaint apparently about Trump’s communications with a foreign leader that acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is refusing to share with Congress, as is normally required by law. At a closed-door briefing with the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community’s top watchdog, stonewalled Democrats’ attempts to get answers, leaving them fuming.
“There is no privilege that covers whether the White House is involved in trying to stifle a whistleblower complaint,” Schiff shot back Thursday, threatening to sue over the issue or even withhold funding from intelligence agencies until they complied.“If [Schiff] wants to engage in a conversation before all the facts are on the table, that’s his prerogative,” said Rep. Mike Conaway , a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
“This leaves the inspector general in a pickle,” said Jim Baker, former general counsel at the FBI. “Now that the Justice Department, that’s the law. As a technical matter, the inspector general has to fall in line. Or he could violate the law and tell Congress what happened, but be subject to prosecution if the information is classified.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Congress grills Trump admin over future of Taliban talks after US strike on civiliansCongress grilled Trump administration officials on Thursday over the future of Taliban talks after a U.S. airstrike hit Afghan civilians.
Read more »
#LiarLewandowski trends after former Trump campaign manager goes on CNN, stonewalls CongressThe former campaign manager was criticized for saying that he had no obligation to tell the truth when speaking to the press.
Read more »
Opinion: Trump isn't just picking a fight with California liberals, he's going after conservatives tooA new Trump administration report recommends deregulation to cure homelessness, but its recommendations should gall conservatives as much as liberals.
Read more »
Trump Hesitates on Iran Strike, As His Administration Draws Up PlansThe administration is reportedly considering cyber attacks and potential sites for retaliation, even as Trump is still wishy-washy on the idea.
Read more »
Trump says he will do 'something' about homelessnessPresident Donald Trump began a California visit on Tuesday, saying he will do "something" about homelessness but offering no specifics beyond the mention of creating a task force. "We can&39;t let Los Angeles, San Francisco and numerous other cities destroy themselves by allowing what
Read more »
Even Trump thinks he’s spent too much time brokering a deal between oil, ethanolA lasting compromise between warring oil and biofuel interests has eluded President Trump.
Read more »