Share
News

Trump Reacts to Media Frenzy over Intelligence Whistleblower: 'Another Fake News Story'

Share

President Donald Trump on Thursday responded to a story claiming a U.S. intelligence official filed a whistleblower complaint over a “promise” the president allegedly made to a foreign leader.

The story is “Fake News,” the president said, plain and simple.

Citing two former U.S. intelligence officials whom it did not name, The Washington Post reported Wednesday that “Trump’s interaction with the foreign leader included a ‘promise’ that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community.”

Not so, Trump said Thursday.

“Another Fake News story out there – It never ends!” he tweeted.

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

“Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself,” Trump said. “No problem!”

In a follow-up post, the president wondered aloud whether people really think he’d say something he should not on a potentially wiretapped call with a foreign leader.

“Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially ‘heavily populated’ call,” Trump said.

“I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA!” he added.

“Presidential Harassment!” the president concluded.

Related:
California Judge Rules Trump Ally Should Be Disbarred for His Role in 2020 Election

At this point, it appears that someone within the U.S. intelligence community did indeed file a whistleblower complaint.

However, the specific details that led to this complaint being filed are much less clear.

Do you believe President Trump's statement that the story is "fake news"?

“It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver,” The Post reported, adding, “One former official said the communication was a phone call.”

In a statement Wednesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat, said intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson had deemed the complaint “both credible and urgent.”

Atkinson met with Intelligence Committee lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Thursday morning. After the meeting, Schiff told reporters the Justice Department believes the material in the complaint is shielded via privilege and does not have to be shared with lawmakers, according to NPR.

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has thus far refused to reveal the contents of the complaint to lawmakers, CNN reported.

But Maguire has agreed to testify before the Intelligence Committee next week, according to Schiff’s statement.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , ,
Share
Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.
Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.
Birthplace
Brooklyn, New York
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Politics




Conversation