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WASHINGTON – The Acting Director of National Intelligence will not be testifying before Congress this week, nor will he immediately hand in a whistleblower complaint to lawmakers, reinforcing the standoff between Capitol Hill and intelligence officials.
The House of Representatives Democratic Committee's chairman of the House of Representatives, Adam B. Schiff, of California, demanded in an encrypted letter Friday that Joseph Maguire, Acting Director of National Intelligence, send a whistleblower complaint to the Inspector General of Intelligence. agencies.
Mr. Schiff asked in his letter whether the underlying conduct involved "the president or his entourage". But Mr Schiff said that he could not discuss the content of the complaint and that its content was difficult to assess because its nature is not publicly known. Other lawmakers said they did not know the details of the complaint.
"The committee's position is clear: the acting president, D.N.I. can either make the complaint in accordance with the law, "said Mr. Schiff," or he will be required to appear before the committee to inform the public of the reasons why he does not comply with the letter of the law, including if the White House or the Attorney General orders him to do so. "
The complaint concerns the conduct of someone "not part of the intelligence world" and does not concern intelligence activities under the supervision of Mr. Maguire, the General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. , Jason Klitenic, wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to Mr. Schiff obtained by the New York Times. This position marks a disagreement between the Inspector General and the Director of National Intelligence as to who would best investigate the complaint.
According to Mr. Schiff's letter, the original complaint was filed on August 12 by a member of the intelligence services working for the National Security Council.
Mr. Schiff stated that the law required that the complaint and the decision of the Inspector General be communicated to Congress within seven days.
"No director of national intelligence has ever refused to respond to a whistleblower complaint," Schiff said Sunday at CBS News' "Face the Nation" show. .
Mr. Schiff told CBS that Mr. Maguire had told him that he was not filing the complaint "because he had been ordered not to do so, it implied a superior authority, a superior person" , the director of national intelligence services, a position in the Cabinet.
But Klitenic concluded that the complaint did not meet the legal definition of "urgent concern" that must be passed on to the congressional oversight committee. According to the lawyer, only allegations relating to the financing, administration or operation of an intelligence service meet this requirement.
The Inspector General of the Intelligence Committee or the National Intelligence Director could refer the complaint to another department and the appropriate oversight committee, an intelligence official said. But the Inspector General of Intelligence has already started to investigate the complaint and has alerted the intelligence committees.
Mr. Maguire's office told the committee that the complaint concerned "potentially privileged issues," a language that raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Klitenic wrote that Mr. Maguire would not appear Thursday at a hearing at the request of Mr. Schiff, adding that "it is not available with such short notice."
Nevertheless, a senior intelligence official stated that Mr. Maguire wanted to find a way to work with the committee and to accept Mr. Schiff's requests while ensuring that the identity of the whistleblower is protected.
Mr. Schiff indicated that he was waiting for Mr. Maguire to appear Thursday, with a subpoena "if necessary". The inspector general of intelligence agencies determined that the complaint was "credible and urgent". That is why the committee must act quickly, Mr. Speaker. Schiff said.
The Senate confirmed Maguire's appointment as director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center, but he was appointed Acting Director of National Intelligence after Dan Coats resigned in August and his deputy forced removal Sue Gordon by Trump administration officials.
His acting status put Mr. Maguire in a difficult position between a White House testing his loyalty and legislators demanding answers to their questions.
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