‘The White House didn’t direct me to withhold the information neither did the office of the legal counsel,’ said acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire during testimony on the Ukraine whistleblower report
WASHINGTON - A whistleblower report released on Thursday said President Donald Trump not only abused his office in attempting to solicit Ukraine’s interference in the 2020 U.S. election for his own political benefit, but that the White House also tried to “lock down” evidence about that conduct.
“I am deeply concerned that the actions described below constitute ‘a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law or executive order’ that ‘does not include differences of opinion concerning public policy matters,’ consistent with the definition of an ‘urgent concern’,” the whistleblower report said.
“I believe the whistleblower and the inspector general have acted in good faith throughout,” he said, also referring to intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who determined that the whistleblower allegations appeared credible and were of urgent concern.See more stories “I have upheld my responsibility to follow the law every step of the way in the matter that is before us today,” Maguire told the committee. Under questioning, he acknowledged that this was the first time a whistleblower complaint was not shared with Congress.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is sworn in to testifify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing on the handling of the whistleblower complaint in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Saying more than six White House officials had made contact about Trump’s communication with Ukraine, the report cited concerns that efforts to put pressure on Ukraine “pose risks to U.S. national security,” undermining efforts “to deter and counter foreign interference in U.S. elections.”The whistleblower report also said, citing multiple U.S. officials, that senior White House officials had intervened to “lock down” records of the call, especially the exact transcript.
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