Trump-appointed Intelligence Community Inspector General reveals that Trump, his minions and his congressional collaborators are yet again,(yes, you guessed it) completely full of shit:
Intelligence community watchdog debunks whistleblower conspiracy pushed by Trump and other Republicans
Washington (CNN)The intelligence community inspector general is forcefully pushing back against assertions made by President Donald Trump and several Republican lawmakers about the whistleblower complaint that has rocked Washington in recent weeks.
In a rare statement released Monday, the inspector general addressed a false claim pushed by Trump and some of his allies on Capitol Hill, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, that the whistleblower lacked firsthand knowledge of the conduct outlined in the complaint and therefore the allegations were based on "hearsay." But the statement from the inspector general made clear that the whistleblower was not simply communicating secondhand knowledge.
"The whistleblower stated on the form that he or she possessed both first-hand and other information," the statement read. "The ICIG reviewed the information provided as well as other information gathered and determined that the complaint was both urgent and that it appeared credible. "
The statement clearly says the whistleblower had "direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct" and that Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson obtained additional information during his preliminary review that supported other allegations in the complaint not based on firsthand knowledge, including Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [The "second hand knowledge" bull pucky was always of course a complete red herring, since the conversation summary and other admissions released by Trump's own White House already confirmed a number of the major charges alleged in the whistleblower report]
"As part of his determination that the urgent concern appeared credible, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community determined that the Complainant had official and authorized access to the information and sources referenced in the Complainant's Letter and Classified Appendix, including direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct, and that the Complainant has subject matter expertise related to much of the material information provided," the statement says.
"Although the Complainant's Letter acknowledged that the Complainant was not a direct witness to the President's July 25, 2019, telephone call with the Ukrainian President, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community determined that other information obtained during the ICIG's preliminary review supported the Complainant's allegations," it adds.
[And the Trumpian propagandists were also proven to be equally full of shit about another false deflection they've been peddling:]
Earlier Monday, Trump tweeted: "WHO CHANGED THE LONG STANDING WHISTLEBLOWER RULES JUST BEFORE SUBMITTAL OF THE FAKE WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT? DRAIN THE SWAMP," referring to a theory that seems to have been initially propagated by the right-wing website The Federalist on Friday.
The article claims that "between May 2018 and August 2019, the intelligence community secretly eliminated a requirement that whistleblowers provide direct, first-hand knowledge of alleged wrongdoings."
Monday's statement from the intelligence community inspector general clearly debunks that theory, aligning with a fact check conducted by CNN that found the assertion to be false.
The statement said that the form submitted by the whistleblower on August 12, 2019, was the same one the inspector general has had in place since May 24, 2018. The statement reiterated that having firsthand knowledge of the event has never been required in order to submit a whistleblower complaint.
"Although the form requests information about whether the Complainant possesses first-hand knowledge about the matter about which he or she is lodging the complaint, there is no such requirement set forth in the statute," the statement reads.
"In fact," the inspector general's statement continues, "by law the Complainant ... need not possess first-hand information in order to file a complaint or information with respect to an urgent concern. The ICIG cannot add conditions to the filing of an urgent concern that do not exist in law."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/30/politics ... index.html
Here's a link to the complete ICIG statement:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/30/politics ... index.html
Two thumbs way up for IG Atkinson...
It's highly unusual for a senior intelligence official to issue
any kind of statement, let alone one demolishing the line being peddled by the President...
It must be infuriating to Trump that despite his best efforts, he inadvertently appointed somebody with integrity who actually cares about the truth and the rule of law to such an important position...He must be just about as pissed as when he discovered that Jeff Sessions wouldn't risk going to prison on obstruction charges for him...
I suspect that whoever recommended Mr. Atkinson won't be long for the chop...
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