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The plot thickens, as always.
Now we can all argue about the mystery whistleblower.
The revelation that the man who triggered this action does not support Donald Trump's reelection – a shocking one, I know – will fuel the counterattacks of the president and his allies. This information comes from the New York Times describing the opinion of the inspector general of the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson. The source wants to remain anonymous, but the chances that the name does not flow seem to me null.
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In fact, the Times reported yesterday that the person who filed the complaint "is a C.I.A. officer who was tasked to work at the White House at one point, according to three people knowing his identity. "
Editor-in-chief Dean Baquet, reacting pre-emptively to possible criticism, justified the revelation: "The role of the whistleblower, including his credibility and his place in the government, is essential to understanding one of the most difficult problems. the country faces – whether it is the president or the president. United States abused power and if the White House has covered it. "
Trump has been thrown on the secret source at a private breakfast in New York, according to the Los Angeles Times. (He also described the journalists as "scoundrels." I think this episode has put our loved ones to the test.)
"I want to know who the person is, who is the person who gave the information to the whistleblower?" Asked Trump. "Because it's close to a spy. Do you know what we did in the past when we were smart? Right? Spies and betrayal, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now. "
In all honesty, the CIA officer went through official channels and the acting chief of intelligence spent hours yesterday deflecting questions from a House committee about why he did not react. faster to the complaint.
I am inclined not to worry too much about the whistleblower, who has no first-hand knowledge of these issues. We already know more than him because we have the rough transcription.
But there was a key revelation in the complaint, made public yesterday. And it was not this CIA man who felt that the president was putting pressure on Joe Biden for his country to be to his personal advantage. Everyone already knows this accusation.
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No, many White House officials have been "deeply troubled" by what they heard during the phone call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the complaint said. Which means that more officials will be called to testify on the hill.
In addition, the unknown complainant claims to have information that "senior White House officials have intervened to" lock "all records of the phone call, particularly the official word-for-word transcription of the Call that was produced, as is customary. Room of the situation of the White House.
Needless to say, it is more difficult for the president and his team to argue that it was a routine diplomatic call if some people who worked for him treated it as a moment of anger.
In fact, the scenario is that the whistleblower would not even have been made aware of the call if White House officials had not been unhappy. Instead, the source concluded that Trump "was seeking to pressure the Ukrainian leader to take steps to help the president's candidacy for re-election in 2020".
Trump nevertheless tweeted yesterday that it was "THE GREATEST SCAM OF THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICS!" He also called it "shame for our country".
In a classic survey, the words uttered between the president and a foreign leader would be the latest revelation of a long, bottom-up investigation, rather than spitting something a week after the first newspaper articles. But that means the media and Congress have to work backwards to rebuild what led to the fateful call.
And the complaint, as well as the rough transcription of the appeal, clearly indicate that Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr were key players in the Ukrainian drama.
According to ABC, a former adviser to Zelensky said that after his election in April, the comedian had wanted to talk to Trump. But, said Serhiy Leshchenko, a former member of parliament, "It was clear that Trump will only have communication as he discusses the Biden case."
It is likely after Trump's first congratulatory call to Zelensky in April that he said he was ready to release. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said the president had urged Zelensky to cooperate with Giuliani to fight "corruption."
So, that becomes quite the police narrative. But he still can not be separated from the impeachment policy, and most Republicans support the president's position that the appeal was not serious.
Cliff Sims, a former White House aide who had engaged a dispute with the president over a fairly critical book, told Politico: "The Democrats' drift has been such a political gift for Trump, again and again, they shouted "betrayal! "And" impeachment! "After almost everything is happening, Central America is for the most part numb."
This is the challenge facing the House Democrats, of whom 220 today support the impeachment process, beyond the magical figure of 218. And sooner or later, the intelligence officer who has preferred to remain anonymous is under a very hard light.
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