'Leak problem': Republicans want to know Trump whistleblower's sources at the White House
Republicans want to know whistleblower's White House sources, as inconsistencies in complaint emerge
Top Republicans on Thursday pushed to identify the White House officials who told a whistleblower of alleged misconduct by the Trump administration, as Democrats ramped up their impeachment inquiry -- and several apparent inconsistencies emerged in the whistleblower's complaint. Republicans specifically questioned why the whistleblower's sources in the White House didn't file a complaint themselves -- especially given that relevant whistleblower procedures do not protect second-hand complaints.
(The New York Times reported that the whistleblower is a CIA officer detailed to the White House. Fox News has not confirmed the Times' report.)
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News' "Shepard Smith Reporting" on Thursday that the administration had an apparent "leak problem," adding, "if they're leaking something that's supposed to be classified, then ... that probably is criminal in nature."
Meanwhile, an unnamed Ukrainian official told the New York Times that Kiev was not made aware that the U.S. suspended security funds until a month after President Trump's call with his counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, which calls into question the whistleblower's account and Democrats' arguments that there was a quid pro quo for the aid.
Whistleblower complaint on Ukraine call declassified and released, alleges Trump solicited foreign 'interference' in election
The whistleblower complaint that touched off a political firestorm in Washington was released to the public Thursday, alleging President Trump used the "power of his office to solicit interference" from Ukraine in the 2020 election -- and that White House officials subsequently tried to "lock down" records of that phone call. The rough transcript of the July call between Trump and Zelensky was already released a day earlier by the White House. (Click here to read the transcript.) It confirmed that Trump sought an investigation from Ukraine into the Biden family, though it did not show the president explicitly leveraging U.S. aid as had initially been suggested in some media reports.
The complaint is not a first-hand account of the call but goes a step further than the transcript. In the complaint, the whistleblower says that White House officials who heard the call were "deeply disturbed" by it and that White House lawyers discussed how to handle the call "because of the likelihood, in the officials' retelling, that they had witnessed the President abuse his office for personal gain." (Click here to read the complaint.)
Intel chief defends handling of Trump call complaint, spars with Schiff
The whistleblower complaint was released by the Democrat-led House Intelligence Committee ahead of Thursday's testimony from Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire. During tense testimony, Maguire defended his handling of the complaint while calling the entire controversy "unprecedented." His frustration showed at the end when House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., repeatedly pressed him to agree that the matter should be investigated. Maguire stressed that the committee now has all of the relevant information, and it's up to them to decide how to proceed.
Meanwhile, former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake made a bold claim on Thursday at the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival when he said "at least 35" GOP senators would privately vote for Trump's impeachment.
No surprise here.
Oh, let's not forget about McCain...
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