Whistleblower Calls Out Trump

Reviews
CNN's news team brings forth Michael Atkinson the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community as their Grand Witness in the "whistleblower scandal." This article is about showing how trustworthy Atkinson is and why he should be trusted. What the whistleblowing is about isn't brought up in the first 750 words so it could be unclear to the casual reader.
Common Facts
Content (1)
CNN
The Gua.
Fox New.
The unnamed whistleblower is said to have seen or heard something that raised 'urgent concern'."
Definitions (3)
SPY: The intelligence agent who is the whistleblower and the subject of this article.
DNI: The acting Director of National Intelligence
ICWPA: Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act
Review Info (3)
First Published: 09/24/2019 02:02:47 am
Last Updated: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
Original Front Page Link
CNN
Content (14)
"When the whistleblower was announced, many who know the whistleblower said his reputation and credibility caused them to take his concerns seriously."
"Mary McCord the senior litigator from Practice at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection who worked with Atkinson at the US Attorney's Office and DOJ's National Security Division."
"Atkinson is widely regarded as a career non-partisan with little interest in the public limelight."
"Atkinson currently finds himself at the center of the high profile controversy related to whether the whistleblower complaint."
"But Atkinson has stood by his conclusion that the complaint indeed raises concerns that must be handed over to Congress in accordance with the law, despite clashing with his own boss, acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire, over that determination."
"The House Intelligence Committee released a letter from Atkinson last week in which he wrote that he and Maguire, "are at an impasse" over that point, marking an unprecedented disagreement between the DNI and IC IG."
"Appointed as IC IG by Trump in 2018, Atkinson's long-standing reputation as a straight-shooter with professional integrity has bolstered the legitimacy of the whistleblower complaint despite the President's attempts to paint it as a partisan attack, multiple sources have told CNN."
"Prior to his Senate confirmation to become IC IG in 2018, Atkinson worked for the Justice Department for over 15 years, according to his biography on the ODNI website."
"From 2002 through 2006, Atkinson worked as a trial attorney in DOJ's Criminal Division, Fraud Section. He then served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2006 through 2016, where he was the acting chief and deputy chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section."
"Atkinson brought several major cases to the US Attorney's Office that were 'the result of thorough, quiet investigation,' according to McCord."
"The inspector general for the intelligence community alerted lawmakers to a mysterious whistleblower complaint detailing allegations about President Donald Trump's conduct."
"Trump has continued to publicly question the whistleblower's motives for speaking out."
"Some are skeptical of the complaint."
"McCord served as the acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at DOJ from 2016 to 2017 and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division from 2014 to 2016."
Opinion (11)
"'As soon as I saw that he had recommended it be sent to Congress, that's all I needed to know it was legit,' said Mary McCord."
"Several officials who acknowledged they are skeptical of the complaint told CNN the IC IG, Michael Atkinson, is a serious professional and that his recommendation gives them pause when they would have been inclined to dismiss the case otherwise."
"Atkinson's recomendation has fueled the escalating standoff between the director of national intelligence and Congress."
"'This (Allegations) involves something more sinister, something involving a serious or flagrant abuse or violation of law or misappropriation, and the IG underscored the seriousness of this, and also that this needs to be looked into. And right now, no one is looking into this,' House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Friday."
"Some of Atkinson's former colleagues agreed that his credentials as a non-partisan and relative obscurity prior to becoming involved in the whistleblower case lend weight to the seriousness of the complaint."
"That quiet, non-partisan approach to his work is why McCord believed he would be a good fit for the IC IG role."
" 'The mere fact Atkinson was not on anyone's radar is points to the fact that his sense of urgency is credible,' McCord said."
"'You would not know which political party Atkinson favors by working with him. I worked with him for years. That's the other reason I feel he's so credible in this space,' McCord added."
"Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division, John Carlin, told CNN that Atkinson is 'someone who is very deliberate, thoughtful and tries to carefully review facts … not someone who seeks attention.' "
"'So if Atkinson is in a situation where something needed to be referred that's because it was his best and informed view of what the law required,' Carlin said."
" 'People don't know who Atkinson is and that's because he does his job. He's the IG and most of that work is not in the public sphere.' McCord Said. "
Article Info (4)
Date Published: 09/23/2019 07:59:00 pm
Date Accessed: 09/28/2019 10:45:00 am
Article Author: Zachary Cohen
Click here to see the article
The Guardian
Content (22)
"Reports that he urged a foreign leader to investigate Joe Biden, seen as his main rival in the 2020 presidential election, have rocked Washington and intensified calls for Trump to be impeached."
"Trump is set to meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy in New York on Wednesday."
"Democrats on the House intelligence committee will grill Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence (DNI). "
"A whistleblower, working in US intelligence, filed a formal complaint in August (2019)."
"Reporting has since revealed that the complaint was based on a series of events, including a 25 July call between Trump and Zelenskiy."
"Numerous news outlets have reported that Trump pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden."
"On Sunday, Trump confirmed he discussed the Bidens with Zelenskiy, and accused the pair – without offering any evidence – of corruption."
"There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by Joe Biden or Hunter Biden."
"In 2016 the US and a number of other western countries pressured Ukraine to remove the prosecutor. Biden was vice-president at the time."
"Trump’s push for the Bidens to be investigated relates to the prosecutor’s removal."
"It is illegal for a political campaign to accept a “thing of value” from a foreign government. Democrats say an investigation into a political opponent – for which Trump appears to have been pushing – would amount to a thing of value."
"It has also been suggested that Trump may have threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine."
"The following day, the president confirmed that he had withheld military aid – but claimed he did so over concerns the US was contributing more than its fair share compared with other countries."
"Amid the growing calls for an impeachment inquiry, Trump on Tuesday tweeted that he had ordered the release of an unredacted transcript of the call the following day."
"Democrats are arguing that in addition to the transcript of the call, the full whistleblower complaint should be released to Congress."
"The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on Tuesday announced the US House of Representatives would begin a formal impeachment inquiry into the president."
"Maguire has refused to release details of a whistleblower’s complaint said to relate to a phone call between Trump and Zelenskiy, despite intensifying calls from Democrats and even some Republicans."
"Complaints of this nature are usually reported to Congress within seven days. Maguire, who was appointed by Trump, has refused to do so."
"Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company."
"According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump asked Zelenskiy eight times to investigate Hunter Biden."
"The allegations relate to Biden Jr’s time on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, which was owned by a businessman who was being investigated by Ukraine’s top prosecutor."
"About a month after the call, the US delayed $250m in such assistance. The money was released this month, after the existence of the whistleblower complaint became public."
Opinion (7)
"Donald Trump is facing on one of the most perilous periods of his historically perilous presidency."
"'The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place,' Trump said. 'Was largely the fact that we don’t want our people, like Vice-President Biden and his son, [contributing] to the corruption already in Ukraine.'"
"At the United Nations in New York, Trump said of the call: 'It’s very important to talk about corruption. If you don’t talk about corruption, why would you give money to a country that you think is corrupt? … It’s very important that on occasion you speak to somebody about corruption.' "
"Trump also continued to seek to cast doubt on the whistleblower’s motivations, tweeting: 'Who is this so-called ‘whistleblower’ who doesn’t know the correct facts. Is he on our country’s side. Where does he come from?' "
"Trump’s assertions appear to be politically motivated."
"Joe Biden is favorite to win the Democratic nomination for president and polls show him beating Trump comfortably."
"'The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the constitution,' Pelosi said in a formal address in Washington. 'The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.'"
Article Info (4)
Date Published: 09/24/2019 08:30:00 pm
Date Accessed: 09/28/2019 07:11:00 pm
Article Author: Adam Gabbatt
Click here to see the article
Fox News
Content (10)
"Who exactly is this unidentified 'whistleblower'? What is the specific nature of his or her 'urgent concern' complaint against the president?"
"Does this complaint really qualify under the [ICWPA]? These are just a few of the most fundamental questions that remain largely unknown."
SPY "is an unelected and inferior federal employee in the government hierarchy…"
"Article II of the Constitution gives the president sweeping power to conduct foreign affairs, negotiate with leaders of other nations, make demands or offer promises. "
"The Constitution does not grant the power of review, approval or disapproval to spies or other unelected officials in the executive branch. "
"The ICWPA law defines the parameters of an 'urgent concern' complaint as an abuse or violation of law 'relating to the funding, administration, or operations of an intelligence activity involving classified information, but does not include differences of opinions concerning public policy matters.' "
"It appears [DNI] … agrees with this assessment."
"The [DNI's] agency’s general counsel wrote a letter stating the complaint did not meet the ICWPA definition because it involved conduct 'from someone outside the intel community and did not relate to intelligence activity,' according to a report by Fox News. "
"To put this in plain language, a spy who allegedly spied on the president does not have a legitimate whistleblower complaint against that president under the law. "
"The ICWPA is a mechanism to report alleged misconduct by members within the intelligence community, of which the president is not. "
Opinion (12)
"The latest media mass hysteria over a whistleblower’s complaint that, according to FoxNews.com 'reportedly involved allegations President Trump made a troubling and unspecified ‘promise’ to a foreign leader,' is based on precious little information."
"That has not stopped journalists from convicting Trump in the court of public opinion and predicting his imminent demise."
"Despite the paucity of facts, some reasonable observations and conclusions can be drawn."
"It appears that an American spy in one of our intelligence agencies may have been spying on our own president."
"The complaint suggests that [SPY] was listening in on Trump’s conversation with a foreign leader. "
"Was [SPY] officially asked to listen to the conversation or was he or she secretly listening in? We don’t know."
SPY "…apparently believes that it is his/her job to second-guess the motivation behind the words of the elected president, who is the most superior officer in the U.S. government."
"The president’s conversation with a foreign leader does not seem to fall under this whistleblower definition. "
"This assessment is why the [DNI] refused to forward the complaint to Congress."
"Yes, the alphabet soup of intel agencies ultimately report to the president, but that does not make Trump a member of that community and subject to its rules of conduct."
"So, it turns out that the 'whistleblower' may not be a whistleblower at all. "
"But you will not hear that from the mainstream media. They are too busy lighting their own hair on fire."
Article Info (4)
Date Published: 09/20/2019 12:00:00 am
Date Accessed: 09/29/2019 08:30:00 pm
Article Author: Gregg Jarrett
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