President Trump’s Communications With A Foreign Leader Are Now Part Of A Whistleblower Complaint

Alexander Drago / Reuters

Washington Post: Trump’s communications with foreign leader are part of whistleblower complaint that spurred standoff between spy chief and Congress, former officials say

The whistleblower complaint that has triggered a tense showdown between the U.S. intelligence community and Congress involves President Trump’s communications with a foreign leader, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

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, said the former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver, but his direct involvement in the matter has not been previously disclosed. It raises new questions about the president’s handling of sensitive information and may further strain his relationship with U.S. spy agencies. One former official said the communication was a phone call.

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WNU Editor: This is a strange story. Someone in the intelligence community got a hold of President Trump's communications with a foreign leader, who after reading it then decided to lodge a whistleblower complaint. Because the Intelligence Community Inspector General determined that the complaint was credible and troubling enough to be considered a matter of “urgent concern,” it then required his office to notify certain congressional oversight committees who now are being blocked from knowing the details of this complaint. Aside from the politics involved, I am not sure on where this is going. The President has broad authority to decide unilaterally when to classify or declassify information, and he is free to conduct foreign affairs as he wants. But we still should know on what did he promise this foreign leader that has resulted in all of this publicity.

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