Closing
in and he must feel the heat: So, worried yet
(Copies
Alfred E. Neuman: “What, me worry?”)
Update
on whistleblower (NY Times via MSN) reports that the whistleblower is a CIA
officer who was detailed to the White House.
Related to
that also from here (NY Times).
Outline: Lawyers for the whistleblower
refused to confirm that he worked for the CIA and said that publishing information
about him was dangerous according to lead counsel, Andrew Bakaj, who said: “Any decision to report any perceived
identifying information of the whistle-blower is deeply concerning and
reckless, as it can place the individual in harm’s way. The whistle-blower has
a right to anonymity.”
A CIA spokesman
declined to comment.
A
spokeswoman for the acting DNI Joseph Maguire said that protecting the
whistle-blower was his office’s highest priority adding: “We must protect those who demonstrate the courage to report alleged
wrongdoing, whether on the battlefield or in the workplace” – (that according
to Maguire in his testimony while adding that he did not know the
whistle-blower’s identity).
The Impact: Trump
took aim at the whistle-blower’s credibility while attempting to dismiss his
revelations because they were secondhand.
Trump also
obliquely threatened the whistle-blower or his sources with punishment, saying:
“I want to know who’s the person who gave
the whistle-blower the information because that’s close to a spy.”
(Trump told
staff members from the U.S. Mission to the UN just before an event there),
adding: “You know what we used to do in
the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right? We used to
handle it a little differently than we do now.” (More
on that from CNN here).
I insert: That implies “death by firing squad”
for W/H officials who gave whistleblower info – wow – how presidential.
Famous historical words: “It’s
not the crime, it’s the cover up” by Trump, who is now becoming more and
more like Nixon redux.
This from the
Atlantic (via MSN) in this synopsis: Trump and close aides have been engaged in a months-long effort to strong-arm the Ukrainian
government into discrediting his political rivals, then worked extensively to
cover up the evidence of their wrongdoing.
The document
shows that a huge range of officials throughout the executive branch were aware
of Trump’s pressure on Ukraine. Their reported efforts to keep the president’s
behavior under wraps confirms that many of them also realized it was improper.
And the report also states that despite Trump’s insistence that he was not
involved demanding a quid pro quo, Ukrainian officials understood him to be
doing precisely that.
Not all of
the complaint has been substantiated, although the DNI IG assessed it,
conducted additional interviews, and found it credible. Much of the report’s
value, however, comes in its careful and thorough collation of information that
has long been public and acknowledged by the president or his aides.
The whistleblower was not a direct witness to the
events, but became aware of them from multiple officials as part of his work, suggesting
that troubled aides brought their concerns to him or her.
Whistleblower
wrote: “In the course of my official
duties, I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials
that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to
solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election. This interference includes, among other
things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President's main
domestic political rivals. I am also
concerned that these actions pose risks to U.S. national security and undermine
the U.S. Government's efforts to deter and counter foreign interference in U.S.
elections.”
This slant from the BBC
on the whistleblower complaint and the Acting DNI’s testimony (September 26, 2019):
Key Introduction: Senior White House officials tried
to “lock down all details of a phone call between Donald Trump and the
Ukrainian president.” That according to a whistleblower complaint against Trump.
My Note: I wonder who those “senior” W/H
officials are. Official(s) indicate more than one. We will find out and my
hunch tells me there will be many resignations very quickly.
The complaint says
the telephone call transcript was not stored in the usual computer system. Instead it was stored in
a separate system used for classified information.
Trump did acknowledge that he personally blocked nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine days before he spoke to Zelensky, but denied that it was to pressure the Ukrainian leader into investigating Biden.
What does the complaint
say? The whistleblower's
complaint accuses Trump of “using the power of his office to solicit
interference from a foreign country in the 2020 election.” The now unclassified
document characterizes the president's conduct as a “serious or flagrant problem,
abuse, or violation of law.”
The whistleblower wrote: “This
set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the
gravity of what had transpired in the call. Details
of the call were stored in a stand-alone computer system reserved for codeword-level
intelligence information, such as covert action. This
was not the first time under this administration that a presidential transcript
was placed into this codeword-level system solely for the purpose of protecting
politically sensitive - rather than national security sensitive – information.
I was not a direct witness to most of the events described, but found my colleagues'
accounts were credible because, in almost all cases, those multiple officials
recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another.”
What's happened in Congress?
1. Intelligence
Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) opened the Acting DNI’s testimony/hearing
by accusing Trump, among other things of: “a
… classic organized crime shakedown.”
2. Ranking
GOP Member, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), a staunch
Trump supporter, said: “I want to
congratulate the Democrats on their latest informational warfare operation
against the president and their extraordinary ability to once again enlist the
mainstream media in their campaign.”
Schiff
asked Maguire why he had sought advice from the White House before deciding to
release the whistleblower's report. Maguire
said: “It just seemed prudent to
check and seek the advice of White House counsel to determine if the report
included information protected by presidential executive privilege. But, I
believe everything in this matter is totally unprecedented and the whistleblower
had acted in good faith. I think the whistleblower did the right thing. I think
he followed the law every step of the way.”
What is the claim about Joe Biden? During the call, Trump discussed with newly
elected Zelensky the 2016 removal of the previous Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor
Shokin.
Trump discussed Biden's son, Hunter, and an unsubstantiated
allegation that Joe Biden - then vice-president - stopped the prosecution of
his son by lobbying Ukraine to fire Shokin. Shokin's office had opened an
investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a
board member.
During
the call, Trump also asked Zelensky to work with AG William Barr and Trump's
personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to look into the matter.
Note: There
is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Biden’s offered from Trump and more-importantly
not from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General.
How the current controversy has unfolded:
· 18 July - President Trump orders
White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report
US media
· 25 July - President Trump speaks to
Ukraine's leader in a 30-minute phone call
· 9 September - Congress learns of a
whistleblower's complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump
administration from viewing it
· 11 September - Military aid for
Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and Department of State
· 23 September - Trump confirms he
withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about
"corruption"
· 24 September - Trump says the aid was
withheld so that other countries would pay more.
My 2 cents: A simple thanks for stopping by and surely
stay tuned.
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