The Acting Director Of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire Defends His Actions On The Whistle Blower Controversy
Joseph Maguire testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday. The much anticipated appearance, came down to testy exchanges about what certain words mean. Committee chairman, Adam Schiff, (D-Calif) wasted no time, accusing Maguire of mishandling the ‘Whistle Blower’ complaint that was turned over to the Inspector General (IG) on August 12, 2019.
Maguire took office four days later, on August 16, 2019. The issue at hand this time, is a phone call that President Donald Trump made to the newly elected President of the Ukraine (PU) in July 2019. A civil servant with knowledge of the call, gave a written statement to the IG, saying that Trump misused his power during the phone call.
The allegations are that Trump asked the PU to ‘manufacture dirt’ on Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. During the phone call Trump tells the PU to talk to his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Attorney General Barr.
During the exchange, Schiff tried to get Maguire to admit to wrong doing on the part of everyone involved. Maguire wasn’t taking the bait, he held his ground, “you have all of the information now. It’s up to you and your committee how you will proceed”, Maguire said.
Meanwhile Top Republicans Want To Know Who Gave The Information To the Whistle Blower
It was gleamed during the hearing, that the Whistle Blower’s complaint does not contain first hand information. The compliant is derived from other sources.
A bone of contention with President Trump and his allies is that the whistle blower wrote a statement based on what other people said. Not from what the whistle blower personal witnessed, or not their own independent knowledge.
Several prominent Republicans are saying that if the President is being accused of misuse of power, they have a right to know who the accusers are. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, is ‘demanding to know who in the White House talked to the whistle blower’.
Arizona Congressman Andy Briggs, said ‘he doesn’t understand how any of this would lead to an impeachment inquiry’. Briggs went on to say, that ‘the Democrats are grasping at straws again. They can’t accept that Trump won the election in 2016, so they keep trying to invent things, and all it does is further divide the country‘.
Republicans Say If The Complaints Are Genuine Why Didn’t The Source File The Complaints
Graham, and Briggs and several others are asking ‘if the source of the whistle blower had concerns, why didn’t the source file the complaint themselves’.
The New York Times is reporting that the whistle blower is a CIA officer that is assigned to the White House. However that detail has not been confirmed by any other source.
Graham, a former attorney says, ‘that if a White House source gave the whistle blower any information true or false, that could be a crime’.
Rep Briggs, said ‘the leaks in the White House’ has been a constant issue since Trump took office in January, 2017. Briggs; “there is a plan in place to get to the bottom of all of this”.