- The acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, is withholding a whistleblower complaint alleging serious wrongdoing within the intelligence community that may involve President Donald Trump, the House Intelligence Committee revealed on Friday.
- The House panel has subpoenaed Maguire to turn over the complaint.
- Notably, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff disclosed that Maguire consulted the Justice Department about the whistleblower complaint, which is a major departure from the norm.
- Maguire’s office also refused to comment on whether the White House was involved in the decision to withhold the complaint, and whether the complaint relates to any matters being investigated by Schiff’s committee.
- “The Committee can only conclude, based on this remarkable confluence of factors, that the serious misconduct at issue involves the President of the United States and/or other senior White House or Administration officials,” Schiff said.
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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is withholding a whistleblower complaint alleging serious wrongdoing within the intelligence community that may involve President Donald Trump or senior administration officials, the House Intelligence Committee disclosed on Friday.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the committee, subpoenaed the acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Joseph Maguire, to turn over the complaint on Friday evening.
“A month ago, a whistleblower within the intelligence community lawfully filed a complaint regarding a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, violation of law, or deficiency within the responsibility or authority of the Director of National Intelligence,” Schiff said in a statement. The Intelligence Community Inspector General (IC IG) determined that the complaint was credible and a matter of “urgent concern.”
The IC IG first notified the committee of the whistleblower complaint on September 9. The next day, Schiff requested a full, unredacted copy of the complaint, the IC IG’s findings related to the matter, and all records connected to the ODNI’s involvement, “including any and all correspondence with other Executive Branch actors including the White House.”
Schiff said the acting DNI was required by law to turn over the complaint to congressional intelligence committees more than ten days ago but refuses to do so.
The ODNI officially declined the committee’s request on Friday and said Maguire is withholding the complaint in part because it “involves confidentially and potentially privileged communications by persons outside the Intelligence Community.”
Schiff said it’s unclear “whether this decision to withhold the disclosure was made only by you, or whether it involved interference by other parties, including the White House.”Notably, Schiff revealed that Maguire consulted the Justice Department about the whistleblower complaint, which is a major departure from the norm. He also disclosed that the ODNI refused to comment on whether the White House was involved in the decision to withhold the whistleblower complaint, and whether the complaint relates to any matters being investigated by the committee.
“The Committee can only conclude, based on this remarkable confluence of factors, that the serious misconduct at issue involves the President of the United States and/or other senior White House or Administration officials,” Schiff said. He added that the ODNI’s actions raise “serious concerns” that the complaint is being withheld specifically to shield Trump or other administration officials.
The only thing that can be concluded here is the House Intelligence Committee has been notified as required by law. That maybe all the law requires or that the ODNI has time after the notification to supply further information. The rest is pure speculation on Rep Schiff’s part, and unfortunately we the people will not be informed nor the process be transparent in any way. Perhaps Mr. Schiff has inside information he should share or there should be an investigation into that.
No, that’s not all the law requires. It requires the DNI to transmit the complaint to the committee. And Schiff, a Harvard Law grad and former assistant U.S. attorney, is not speculating; he knows what he’s talking about. You do not.