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| Impeachment Investigators Question Intelligence Watchdog About Whistle-Blower | Impeachment Investigators Question Intelligence Watchdog About Whistle-Blower |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — The House Intelligence Committee on Friday questioned the intelligence community watchdog who first fielded the whistle-blower complaint that has spurred a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, as Democrats sought to uncover more evidence of a politically motivated White House pressure campaign on Ukraine. | WASHINGTON — The House Intelligence Committee on Friday questioned the intelligence community watchdog who first fielded the whistle-blower complaint that has spurred a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, as Democrats sought to uncover more evidence of a politically motivated White House pressure campaign on Ukraine. |
| Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general, had received the complaint and conducted his own preliminary investigation into its validity before seeking to deliver it to Congress. He arrived on Capitol Hill Friday morning for a briefing behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol. | Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general, had received the complaint and conducted his own preliminary investigation into its validity before seeking to deliver it to Congress. He arrived on Capitol Hill Friday morning for a briefing behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol. |
| The meeting kicked off another day of fast-moving developments in the House impeachment investigation into allegations that Mr. Trump and his administration worked to bend America's diplomatic apparatus for his own benefit, trying to pressure Ukraine’s government to help dig up dirt on his political rivals. | The meeting kicked off another day of fast-moving developments in the House impeachment investigation into allegations that Mr. Trump and his administration worked to bend America's diplomatic apparatus for his own benefit, trying to pressure Ukraine’s government to help dig up dirt on his political rivals. |
| In addition to speaking with Mr. Atkinson, lawmakers were expected to subpoena the White House for a vast trove of documents related to the Ukraine matter, and hinted at other requests. A significant subpoena deadline for the State Department to hand over similar material in its possession was also scheduled to arrive by the end of the day. | In addition to speaking with Mr. Atkinson, lawmakers were expected to subpoena the White House for a vast trove of documents related to the Ukraine matter, and hinted at other requests. A significant subpoena deadline for the State Department to hand over similar material in its possession was also scheduled to arrive by the end of the day. |
| Even as they worked, lawmakers from both parties continued Friday morning to try to make sense of a tranche of text messages between American diplomats and a top aide to the Ukrainian president. Those text messages were released late Thursday night, and called into question the truthfulness of Mr. Trump’s claim that there had been no quid pro quo attached to his pressing Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., his son and other Democrats. | Even as they worked, lawmakers from both parties continued Friday morning to try to make sense of a tranche of text messages between American diplomats and a top aide to the Ukrainian president. Those text messages were released late Thursday night, and called into question the truthfulness of Mr. Trump’s claim that there had been no quid pro quo attached to his pressing Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., his son and other Democrats. |
| As more information came to light, Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, one of the few members of Mr. Trump’s party who has been critical of the conduct at the center of the impeachment inquiry, issued a statement condemning the president’s public comments on Thursday inviting China as well as Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. | |
| “When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated,” Mr. Romney said. “By all appearances, the president’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.” | |
| Democrats on Capitol Hill hoped Mr. Atkinson’s account would boost their efforts to build a fuller narrative of what transpired between the two countries. | Democrats on Capitol Hill hoped Mr. Atkinson’s account would boost their efforts to build a fuller narrative of what transpired between the two countries. |
| A Trump appointee, Mr. Atkinson set off the present saga less than a month ago when he notified Congress’s intelligence committees that he had received an anonymous whistle-blower complaint that he deemed to be “urgent” and credible. The acting director of national intelligence intervened initially to block Mr. Atkinson from sharing the complaint with Congress, but ultimately the Trump administration relented and allowed its public release. | A Trump appointee, Mr. Atkinson set off the present saga less than a month ago when he notified Congress’s intelligence committees that he had received an anonymous whistle-blower complaint that he deemed to be “urgent” and credible. The acting director of national intelligence intervened initially to block Mr. Atkinson from sharing the complaint with Congress, but ultimately the Trump administration relented and allowed its public release. |
| In the complaint, the whistle-blower wrote that multiple government officials had provided him information 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.” | In the complaint, the whistle-blower wrote that multiple government officials had provided him information 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.” |
| Specifically, he said that Mr. Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, had pressed Ukraine to conduct the investigations, potentially using the prospect of a meeting that the new Ukrainian president badly wanted with Mr. Trump and withholding $391 million in security aid earmarked for the country as leverage to secure the investigations. The White House tried to cover up aspects of the events, the complaint said. | Specifically, he said that Mr. Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, had pressed Ukraine to conduct the investigations, potentially using the prospect of a meeting that the new Ukrainian president badly wanted with Mr. Trump and withholding $391 million in security aid earmarked for the country as leverage to secure the investigations. The White House tried to cover up aspects of the events, the complaint said. |
| Mr. Atkinson has already appeared once before the House Intelligence Committee, but he was barred then from speaking in detail about the complaint. Now, lawmakers expect him to detail what steps he took to verify elements of the complaint and conclude it was credible. He could possibly identify other government officials with knowledge of the events described in it. | Mr. Atkinson has already appeared once before the House Intelligence Committee, but he was barred then from speaking in detail about the complaint. Now, lawmakers expect him to detail what steps he took to verify elements of the complaint and conclude it was credible. He could possibly identify other government officials with knowledge of the events described in it. |
| Details of the complaint, including a July call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, have already been verified. The text messages released late Thursday also appeared to comport with elements of the complaint. | Details of the complaint, including a July call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, have already been verified. The text messages released late Thursday also appeared to comport with elements of the complaint. |
| As they debriefed Mr. Atkinson, Democrats prepared to issue an unusually long and expansive subpoena to the White House for documents related to the Ukraine matter, any attempts to hide evidence related to it, as well as other conversations between Mr. Trump and foreign leaders that touched on similar topics. | As they debriefed Mr. Atkinson, Democrats prepared to issue an unusually long and expansive subpoena to the White House for documents related to the Ukraine matter, any attempts to hide evidence related to it, as well as other conversations between Mr. Trump and foreign leaders that touched on similar topics. |
| Republicans accused Democrats of not giving them a chance to provide input on the subpoena. | Republicans accused Democrats of not giving them a chance to provide input on the subpoena. |
| How the White House and the State Department respond to their respective requests could significantly shape the impeachment investigation going forward. Many of the records the Democrats are requesting are highly sensitive and would typically be subject in almost any White House to claims of executive privilege. | How the White House and the State Department respond to their respective requests could significantly shape the impeachment investigation going forward. Many of the records the Democrats are requesting are highly sensitive and would typically be subject in almost any White House to claims of executive privilege. |
| Under normal circumstances, the White House could make such a claim and mount a competitive defense in court | Under normal circumstances, the White House could make such a claim and mount a competitive defense in court |
| But that may not help Mr. Trump’s case politically under the present circumstances. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chairmen leading the inquiry have consistently warned the White House that noncompliance with their requests will be viewed as obstruction of Congress, a potentially impeachable offense in and of itself. | But that may not help Mr. Trump’s case politically under the present circumstances. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chairmen leading the inquiry have consistently warned the White House that noncompliance with their requests will be viewed as obstruction of Congress, a potentially impeachable offense in and of itself. |