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A WHISTLEBLOWER WHO made a number of allegations about US President Donald Trump’s conduct claimed the White House intervened to “lock down” the transcript of a call with the Ukranian president.
A summary of the 25 July conversation was released yesterday and revealed Trump urged Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his 2020 rival Joe Biden.
It shows Trump stated US Attorney General Bill Barr and the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani would be in touch about probing the Ukraine-related activities of Biden and his son.
The whistleblower, an unidentified intelligence community official, contacted the two select committees on intelligence last month about the call. The top-secret complaint was declassified by the administration and released by Congress today.
In it, the whistleblower said they had been told by multiple White House officials that Trump used the call to “advance his personal interests”, including asking Zelensky to:
“The White House officials who told me this information were deeply disturbed by what had transpired in the phonecall,” the whistleblower wrote.
“They told me that there was already a discussion ongoing with White House lawyers about how to treat the call because of the likelihood, in the officials’ retelling, that they had witnessed the president abuse his office for personal gain.”
The official said that in the days that followed the phonecall they learned that senior White House officials had intervened to “lock down” all records of the phonecall.
White House officials told me they were “directed” by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically stored for coordination, finalisation and distribution to Cabinet-level officials.
The transcript, according to the whistleblower, was instead loaded into a separate electronic system that is otherwise used to “store and handle classified information of an especially sensitive nature”.
“One White House official described this act as an abuse of this electronic system because the call did not contain anything remotely sensitive from a national security perspective.”
The whistleblower said they were concerned these actions “pose a risk to US national security and undermine the US government’s efforts to deter and counter foreign interference in US elections”.
The anonymous official presented the nine-page complaint on 12 August to the inspector general of the intelligence community, a Trump appointee who found it a credible and “urgent concern” and forwarded it to the acting Director of National Intelligence.
But the DNI, Joseph Maguire, at first refused to deliver the complaint to Congress, raising concerns from Democrats that members of Trump’s administration were improperly protecting the president.
With the scandal swelling, the top Democrat in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of betraying his oath of office as she announced an official impeachment inquiry on Tuesday.
Trump has acknowledged that he urged Ukraine to launch an anti-corruption probe against Biden, potentially his chief rival in the 2020 presidential race, and Biden’s son. He says he exerted “no pressure” on Kiev – a claim echoed by Zelensky.
Critics say Trump had held up $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, to be released only on condition that it investigate the Bidens.
The non-verbatim record of the call released yesterday did not show Trump explicitly tying aid to Zelensky probing Biden and the White House said the complaint showed Trump did “nothing improper.”
“The White House will continue to push back on the hysteria and false narratives being peddled by Democrats,” Trump’s press secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
Maguire, Trump’s top intelligence official, was testified before the House Intelligence Committee about why he originally withheld the complaint from Congress.
Maguire told lawmakers that while he believed the whistleblower had “acted in good faith” and followed the law, the DNI withheld the complaint from Congress because the Trump call was subject to executive privilege.
But Democrats condemned the actions of the White House and the president as a cover-up.
Some Republicans have also voiced deep concerns over the latest revelations.
“There is a lot in the whistleblower complaint that is concerning,” House Republican Will Hurd said. “We need to fully investigate all of the allegations.”
- With reporting from AFP.
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Either way after he is out of office it is likely more such personal benefits from his actions will come out. The fact he stays in his own hotels has to be on that list. Along with the use of his hotel in DC
@Craic_a_tower: get a life. It bothers you where he sleeps?
@Rocky Loveridge: Get a life – it bothers you that it might bother @Craic_a_tower where he sleeps?
@Gavin Conran: I shouldn’t have said get a life, that was wrong and insulting of me
Still though, an Irish fella annoyed at the president of America for staying in one of his own hotels is outright bizarre
@Rocky Loveridge: It doesn’t particularly bother me what he does. If it indicates corruption and profiteering from his position I will point it out. He is making a profit out of this. It isn’t they rent one room but entire floors for all the staff. Pence staying in Dunbeg is very suspect. If you don’t understand the concept that is your problem. Only meeting people who book enough rooms in his hotel in DC is a long running allegation. Simply put it is kickbacks
@Rocky Loveridge: trump staying in his own hotels isnt the issue. Trump charging his Secret Service protection detail to stay in his hotels is the issue.
Every time he stays at one of his hotels he profits from it.
@Rocky Loveridge: If Michael D owned a chain of hotels globally, and when travelling only ever stayed in his own properties, sometimes going hours out of the way to enrich himself at the cost of millions to the taxpayer – would you find that an acceptable thing?
I wouldn’t – so I can, therefore, relate to this story.
There was a report recently enough that showed that Trump has spent nearly a third of his presidency visiting his own properties at the taxpayer’s expense.
@Gavin Conran: That’s 362 different trips to his own properties at the tax layers expense since he took office.
Then of course when his officials travel they too have to all stay at Trump properties, again further enriching himself.
Personally, i am not outraged by any of this – bit i do think it is taking the piss and so can understand why anyone would be.
@Kendra Jackson:
How do you know he charges for his security? I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, after all he doesn’t take a salary, he donates it to various charities, I’m sure his security detail stays for free, at the cost to his hotels, unless you have different information or proof otherwise?
@➕The Gray➕: You would be wrong they pay that is why it is an issue. Why would you think his hotel would put anyone up for free? There are numerous reports on the costs. He charged his own election campaign for using his hotels.
@➕The Gray➕: here’s something to indicate how much he profits from the US military using his resort near Prestwick airport in Scotland https://www.scotsman.com/news/world/trump-turnberry-resort-singled-out-in-airport-s-pitch-to-us-military-1-5011598
@Craic_a_tower: And its the taxpayer who foots the bill
@Rocky Loveridge: you’re clearly missing the bigger picture. Do we really have to point out the bleedin obvious
@➕The Gray➕: Yes the Secret Service are charged when they have to use Trump properties
https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/12/news/secret-service-mar-a-lago/index.html
@Rocky Loveridge: Time to switch on the brain Rocky
@Craic_a_tower: He won’t be out of office for quite a long time Mr hide your name.
This crusade against Trump by the mainstream media is really exhausting.
@Mike Conway: they are reporting facts. Just because it makes him look bad doesn’t make it a crusade. If you are exhausted by it just ignore it like you ignore reality
@Mike Conway: Says deleted account Mike Conway.
Trump could order a Burger and chips and the Dems would say it’s an impeachable offence, it’s not gonna happen.
@➕The Gray➕: Trump is now in bigly trouble.You will have to now pray, Gray
@Tom Doyle:
The last administration destroyed Libya, killed it’s leader and in doing so facilitated a 21st century slave trade resulting in Obama receiving a Nobel peace prize.
Yet all the liberal and leftist melts lose their minds over a phone call, sorry, but there’s a better chance of you getting impeached than Trump.
@➕The Gray➕: Obama derangement syndrome
@➕The Gray➕: “there is a better chance of you getting impeached than Trump” – you do know that the Democrats control the House of Representatives :-) try to keep up,Gray
@➕The Gray➕: “destroyed Libya…resulting in Obama receiving a Nobel prize”. IN fact Obama intervened in Libya in 2011. He got the 2009 Nobel prize.
@Tom Doyle: But the Republicans control the Senate.
@➕The Gray➕: killed Gaddafi? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Muammar_Gaddafi really?
@Shane Russell: in his twitter he says “soy boys beware” and here he has a japanese kamakazi pilot as his avatar, even though the japanese diet is rich in soy. Hahaha rofl.
Typical idiocity of the far right.
@Darren Byrne:
Yeah, really…
https://youtu.be/6DXDU48RHLU
@Shane Russell:
Yeah I get that a lot, one day I’m accused of being a Zionist bot, Russian bot, now a Ukrainian, just waiting for the Leprechaun bot tag. I see there’s lots of Jussie Smollett fans on here too. This story is right up there with that, mind you.
@Tom Doyle:
And the one that matters, the Senate???
Anyways, have a think about this, maybe even look it up…like I said previously, Pelosi and the Dems are being played…do keep up.
https://twitter.com/TheGray1776/status/1177318522977947649?s=09
@Lionheart1: Was Clinton impeached >yes ,he was.Who impeached him > the House of Representatives
@➕The Gray➕: you said “but there’s a better chance of you getting impeached than Trump.” < it is the House Of Representatives that impeach the president ;-) Do try to keep up,pet
Trump derangement syndrome is in overdrive. The dims will do anything to deflect from Biden’s (and Obama’s by association) corruption.
@Jack Simpson: Says the people who removed Bill Clinton for have a one off office fling, Trump has broken the law and if you think he is above the law it speaks volumes about you lets face it.
@Peter Hughes:
Clinton lied on TV to the American people, that’s why he was removed. Not for the fling. Get your fake facts right.
@Peter Hughes: Sorry? Broken the law? Pray tell how? How Peter?
@➕The Gray➕: Clinton was not “removed”. He served out his entire term. How do you like that fact?
what a nonsense!, not even one word in transcript about:
Initiate or continue an investigation into the activities of Joe Biden’s son;
Assist in purportedly uncovering that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections originiated in Ukraine; and
Meet or speak with Giuliani and Barr on these issues.
@Born to be wild!: What a very odd way to be blind
@Born to be wild!: It wasnt a transcript that was released. It was a summary. How about you read the fekin article before jumping the gun?
@Craic_a_tower: Having read a lot of your comments Mr Tower I believe your Trump syndrome has reached a dangerous level.
“ I was not a witness to most of the events described… However, I found my colleagues’ accounts of these events to be credible”
Perhaps the most telling in whistleblower report…
Teflon Trump
@➕The Gray➕: How is Tulsi not already a legend in the Democrat Party? She should walk right into that nomination. A lot of Trump supporters would vote for her. But the DNC would rather destroy her. America’s loss. She could unite the country again.
@➕The Gray➕: so what a Republican tries to say it is no big deal and people agree with her.
@Burn_the_Witch:
Exactly. She made a show of Harris last time round, Gabbard doesn’t tow the corrupt Democrat line by the looks of things.
Say what you like, there’s political genius at work in asking Ukraine to take the hit for hacking the DNC. If he could have “demonstrated” that absolutely everybody else was wrong to blame Russia – and the base might’ve believed it, coming from both POTUS & Zelenskyy – the door to the Dictatorship’ll open. Sanctions lifted on Russia & preferred trading partner status as an apology. Get rid of the IC. Open embassy in Pyongyang. Claim back the 2 years lost thru Mueller: Election 2022. Ban all media except Fox & OAN from Federal events. ICE reinforced by the Army. Build the wall and imprison any who mention Mexico paying. Feel free to add to the list.
@Brendan Moriarty: Ehhh what?
have your say