The DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel advised the DNI whether to disclose the complaint, said an official, who would not say if AG William Barr was involved.
A whistleblower complaint by an intelligence officer that the Trump administration is withholding from Congress involves a phone conversation the president had, a former U.S. intelligence official familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday night.
The Washington Post, citing two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter, first reported that the complaint was by an intelligence official troubled by a promise Trump had made during communication and interaction with a foreign leader.
A Justice Department official said it was the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that gave advice to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on whether to disclose the complaint. Asked whether Attorney General Bill Barr was personally involved, the official declined to comment.
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A whistleblower complaint by an intelligence official about a private presidential phone call would be an extraordinary development, likely without precedent in U.S. history.
It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver, The Post reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/tr...tedly-center-whistleblower-complaint-n1056196
A whistleblower complaint by an intelligence officer that the Trump administration is withholding from Congress involves a phone conversation the president had, a former U.S. intelligence official familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday night.
The Washington Post, citing two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter, first reported that the complaint was by an intelligence official troubled by a promise Trump had made during communication and interaction with a foreign leader.
A Justice Department official said it was the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that gave advice to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on whether to disclose the complaint. Asked whether Attorney General Bill Barr was personally involved, the official declined to comment.
...
A whistleblower complaint by an intelligence official about a private presidential phone call would be an extraordinary development, likely without precedent in U.S. history.
It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver, The Post reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/tr...tedly-center-whistleblower-complaint-n1056196