Credible Whistleblower Complaint being Withheld from Congress by Acting DNI Dir

This could be important, keep an eye on whether the acting DNI Director complies tomorrow, and if not, if he shows up Thursday to testify before Congress. This whistleblower complaint has been investigated by the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community and found to be credible and that it involved serious or flagrant wrongdoing. What could it be about that the acting director has refused to release it as lawfully required to Congress?

Press Release: Chairman Schiff Issues Subpoena for Whistleblower Complaint Being Unlawfully Withheld by Acting DNI from Intelligence Committees
Adam Schiff @RepAdamSchiff 1:17 PM · Sep 15, 2019

No Director of National Intelligence has ever refused to turn over a whistleblower complaint the IG determined to be urgent and credible.

There is no privilege to engage in misconduct; not under this president, or any other.

That’s why I issued a subpoena and will enforce it.

Chairman Schiff September 10 Letter to Acting Director of the DNI
Chairman Schiff September 13 Letter to Acting Director of the DNI

Schiff accuses top intel official of illegally withholding 'urgent' whistleblower complaint
By KYLE CHENEY 09/13/2019

“A Director of National Intelligence has never prevented a properly submitted whistleblower complaint that the [inspector general] determined to be credible and urgent from being provided to the congressional intelligence committees. Never," Schiff said in a statement. "This raises serious concerns about whether White House, Department of Justice or other executive branch officials are trying to prevent a legitimate whistleblower complaint from reaching its intended recipient, the Congress, in order to cover up serious misconduct."

The initial whistleblower complaint was filed last month, and Schiff indicated that it was required by law to be shared with Congress nearly two weeks ago. His subpoena requires the information to be turned over by Sept. 17 or else he intends to compel Maguire to appear before Congress in a public hearing on Sept. 19.

Adam Schiff says DNI cited "higher authority" in refusal to turn over whistleblower complaint
Olivia Gazis | September 15, 2019

Congressman Adam Schiff claimed on Sunday that the official who sits atop the intelligence community is rejecting a subpoena to turn over a whistleblower complaint in order to protect an even higher-ranking official, possibly a top administration official or even President Trump.

"According to the director of national intelligence (DNI), the reason he's not acting to provide it, even though the statute mandates that he do so, is because he is being instructed not to. This involved a higher authority, someone above the DNI," Schiff, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation."

Schiff had issued a subpoena Friday to Joseph Maguire, the acting DNI, alleging that he was unlawfully withholding the whistleblower complaint from the committee.

Further, the complaint had been deemed "credible" by the inspector general of the intelligence community (IC IG). By Friday, more than 10 days had lapsed since Maguire was supposed to hand over the complaint.

The IG, he pointed out, "did some preliminary investigation, found the whistleblower to be credible, that suggests corroboration. And that it involved serious or flagrant wrongdoing."

Abusing the power of the office of the President of the United States of America is an impeachable offense. Full stop.

Asha Rangappa @AshaRangappa_ 5h

So we are all clear on what’s happening: Trump admitted to asking a foreign government to open an unfounded investigation on his political opponent. He has also blocked Congress from seeing a WB complaint, vetted by his own appointee, as required by law.

A Timeline of the Trump-Ukraine Scandal
By Gordon Ahl, Mikhaila Fogel, Jacob Schulz, Masha Simonova, Lawfare Blog | September 24, 2019

Senate GOP Unanimously Approves Dem Resolution Calling for Release of Whistleblower Complaint
By MAIREAD MCARDLE | September 24, 2019

Senate Republicans on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure proposed by Democrats calling on the Trump administration to turn over to Congress the whistleblower complaint that has resulted in calls for Trump’s impeachment.

Every Senate Republican and Democrat voted to pass Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s resolution demanding that the administration “immediately” release the whistleblower complaint detailing allegations against the president to the House and Senate intelligence committees.

On Tuesday, Trump admitted that he temporarily withheld military aid from Ukraine that was intended to help the country ward off Russian aggression, prompting suspicion of a quid pro quo scheme in which Trump is said to have finally released the aid in exchange for the promise that Biden’s conduct would be investigated.

Statement from whistleblower's attorneys

I'm a bit confused homeagain, can you elaborate please? The link you posted is the same that I had at the bottom of my last post which is the statement by the whistleblower's lawyers saying they look forward to the release of the complaint's contents. I'm not sure how that pertains to Trump's actions? He has tried to squash this information using the DOJ which falls under his Executive branch powers, but it's the law that it is to be turned over to Congress within 7 days and being well past that, the courts will back up Chairman Schiff's subpoena eventually. Trump has no command over the Judiciary branch.

I posted a couple of these links in another thread, but wanted to put it here as well, as new text messages between US Ambassador Gordon Sondham and Ambassador Volker have been released, there's a possible second whistleblower about the Ukraine issue, and there's a 3rd unrelated whistleblower complaint about the handling of either Trump's or Pence's IRS tax audit.

We've seen a lot of spin and lies coming from Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Guiliani, about the Ukrainian prosecutor who was removed at Biden's urging. It was not done to benefit his son who was working for a company called Burisma, it was done because the prosecutor wasn't investigating corruption and several Western governments wanted him gone; Biden was acting on national interests. That prosecutor ruined an investigation in Great Britain because they had frozen the assets of Burisma, but had to release the hold when the Ukrainian prosecutor refused to file charges. Getting that prosecutor out was against the interests of Biden's son's company. There is absolutely no evidence anywhere to support the slanderous claims that Trump is stating about Biden, and last Friday he publicly stated on camera on the south lawn calling for China to also investigate the Bidens.

These are impeachable offenses, in addition to the obstruction committed by his Secretary of State ignoring subpoenas from Congress, and news that Trump pressed Australia to help discredit the Mueller investigation. Whether you agree with them or not, this is how our justice system works and if you think it's okay for the Executive Branch to ignore what is written in the Constitution that our Legislative Branch has every right to do, then you don't support our system of government as created by our Founding Fathers, or the rule of law. This will not end well for any citizen, because the next political party to hold office can then run with this new precedent and we descend to authoritarianism.

No member of our government should be asking a foreign government to investigate a political opponent in exchange for support, if there's a crime, then law enforcement should open an investigation, and the fact that he's only calling for investigations into his strongest political opponent for the office of President is an abuse of the power of office, plain and simple.

I Wrote About the Bidens and Ukraine Years Ago. Then the Right-Wing Spin Machine Turned the Story Upside Down.
James Risen, The Intercept | September 25, 2019

It’s strange to see my journalism twisted, perverted, and turned into lies and poisonous propaganda by Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and their enablers. But that’s what has happened to a news story I wrote four years ago.

In 2015, I wrote a story for the New York Times about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Ukraine. Many observers now seem to think this suddenly hot story came out of nowhere this year, but that is not true.

The truth behind that story has been lost in a swamp of right-wing opposition research, White House lies, and bizarre follow-up stories. Now it appears that the Biden-Ukraine story will play a role in a new impeachment inquiry against Trump, amid evidence that he sought to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by withholding U.S. aid unless Zelensky agreed to investigate the Bidens.

With so much now at stake, I thought it would be useful to revisit my original story and in the process, separate the truth from the gathering lies.

Joe Biden, His Son and the Case Against a Ukrainian Oligarch
By James Risen, NY Times | Dec. 8, 2015

Republican senators echoed Biden in urging Ukrainian president to reform prosecutor general's office
By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN | Updated 2:40 PM ET, Thu October 3, 2019

The story behind Biden’s son, Ukraine and Trump’s claims
By STEPHEN BRAUN and LYNN BERRY | September 23, 2019

Portman, Durbin, Shaheen, and Senate Ukraine Caucus Reaffirm Commitment to Help Ukraine Take on Corruption
February 12, 2016 | Press Releases, Portman.Senate.gov

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on European Affairs spearheaded a letter expressing concern to Ukrainian President Poroshenko regarding the recent resignation of Minister of Economy Aivaras Abromavi?ius, who has alleged that corruption remains a dire challenge within the Ukrainian political system. In the letter, Portman, Durbin, and Shaheen said they recognized the challenges facing the Ukrainian government two years after the Maidan brought positive change to Ukraine. They also reaffirmed their commitment to help President Poroshenko confront the duel threat posed by Russian aggression in Ukraine as well as entrenched corruption in the government and to create a transparent and democratic government. The letter was also signed by Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

GOP Letter From 2016 Calling For Reforms In Ukraine Undercuts Trump’s Allegations Against Biden

Timeline: Trump, Guiliani, Biden, and Ukrainegate (updated)

Why Was Ukraine's Top Prosecutor Fired? The Issue At The Heart Of The Dispute Gripping Washington
By Christopher Miller, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty | September 24, 2019 13:31 GMT

Video: Acting Director National Intelligence Maguire Testifies Before Congress

The Volker Texts: What Quid Pro Quo Looks Like
By Scott R. Anderson, Margaret Taylor, Lawfare Blog | Friday, October 4, 2019

Opinion: Trump’s Claims About Biden Aren’t ‘Unsupported.’ They’re Lies.
By Michelle Goldberg, NYT Opinion Columnist | Sept. 30, 2019

How a D.C. News Site Amplified Dubious Ukraine Claims
BY AMY MACKINNON, REID STANDISH, Foreign Policy | SEPTEMBER 26, 2019