Donald Trump rails against report that his promise to foreign leader prompted whistle-blower complaint
- US leader tweets about ‘presidential harassment’ as he calls report ‘fake news’
- Intelligence community inspector general considers complaint credible and of ‘urgent concern’, but US spy chief won’t share details with lawmakers
US President Donald Trump disputed a report on Thursday that his interaction with a foreign leader had prompted an official in the US intelligence community to file a formal whistle-blower complaint, saying it was inconceivable that he would say anything inappropriate on a heavily monitored phone call.
“Virtually any time I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various US agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
“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? I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA!”
Trump dismissed the report as “Fake News” and said in another tweet that he was subject to “Presidential Harassment!”
Trump’s interaction with the foreign leader included a “promise” that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted the intelligence official to file a whistle-blower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, according to two former US officials familiar with the matter.
The former officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
One former official said the communication was a phone call.
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 had not been previously disclosed. It raises new questions about the president’s handling of sensitive information and may further strain his relationship with US intelligence agencies.
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The White House declined to comment late on Wednesday night. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a lawyer representing the whistle-blower declined to comment.
Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson determined that the complaint was credible and troubling enough to be considered a matter of “urgent concern”, a legal threshold that requires notification of congressional oversight committees.
But acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share details about Trump’s alleged transgression with lawmakers, touching off a legal and political dispute that has spilled into public view and prompted speculation that the spy chief is improperly protecting the president.
