Thursday, September 19, 2019

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.

Read more ....

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.

31 comments:

NED LUDD said...

A href="//www.rawstory.com/2019/09/former-fbi-agent-explains-why-trump-just-opened-himself-to-more-legal-problems/WHAT A PRESIDENT CAN DO ON HIS OWN AND WHAT HE SHOULD NOT DO, EXPLAINED

NED LUDD said...

READ

Anonymous said...

Okay, let's go for it. Forget the IG. Just make it public. As it is now, Democrats are trying to kill Trump by a thousand cuts while they are trying to behead him.

I am old enough to Remember when McCain crossed the aisle to work with Ted Kennedy on No child Left behind, the Democrats were raising a stink about impeaching George W. Bush. I thought they were going to try and get a vote.

Day in and a Day out you hear from liberal political leaders and liberal rank and file letters to the editor that if we admit into NATO a nation that borders Russia that is terrible policy, all but an act of war, and stupid. What if Trump promised Russian that he would not admit Ukraine into NATO and that Ukraine is in the Russian sphere?

Things like this have been done before. The Germans even have a name for it, Real Politik. Democrats/liberals/Leftists have decried admitting Ukraine into NATO as imperialist and dangerous. It appears to me that Democrats want to impeach or get rid of Trump for trying to implement policy that they espouse.

I do not know this (or something like this) for fact, but I suspect it is true.

What if Trump told Xi, he would do nothing about Hong Kong? And? Liberals would do anything anyway. Sure they would come out in brilliant colors and strut, but in the end they would do nothing constructive except get campaign contribution that they could turn into personnel wealth when they retired. That is this is what they would do when not kicking military recruiters off campus, blowing up ROTC or spitting on soldiers.

What about South Korea or Japan? Why do I have to hear the truth from a 20 something without a college education, who lived in Japan, but cannot get this from our august newspapers in the states? The US media have done more to wreck US policy than any other person or institution.

1) It will be leaked by Christmas anyway, so just come out with it.

2) I have not seen people on the Left signing up to die for anyone, since the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Since then they take safe position like military lawyer or intel. REMF positions. So few of them do that that it is noteworthy to point it out.

3) #2 is important, because if you get a late start and lose too much ground, can you make it up? If the British had lost Gibraltar and Malta before December 1941, do the allies win in 1945, 1946 or at all?

We've lost a lot of ground already and a damn fucking liberal cannot tell you where or what it is.

Anonymous said...

NED LUDD aka Philotectes aka Parrot aka Fred aka PHred aka PheDo

So we have an FBI agent. We have thousands of those. Why is this one special? Cuz she did a 2 year stint?


Why use a agent with a few years instead of a constitutional lawyer? To make it like sexy or serious?

What are her quals that make he more of an expert on this topic than someone else? Did she do good work fighting organized gangs in LA?

What I see is a stronger military, stronger border walls, stronger economy, etc ... and Democrats on the outside wanting to get back in.

Bob Huntley said...

With Trump those border walls will ultimately enclose the US onto itself.

Speculatively speaking Trump was perhaps negotiating having America give up something big like returning Alaska to the Russians in trade for a place to live when the country finally kicks him and his family out. That is, makes moving out the better option over jail time. Later his book, "Why I fled the USA." will appear on bookshelves worldwide right next to Snowden's.

Anonymous said...

The conservative blogosphere are madder than hell at the libtards.

Expect a big conservative turnout.



Anonymous said...


Bob were you the make up artist that put the shoe polish on Trudeau?

Does Trudeau still have your vote?


Sante Claws said...

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Arthur Itis said...

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B.Poster said...

Anon (8:59),

Excellent analysis. What if Trump promised Russia that Ukraine is in the Russian sphere? What if Trump promised Xi he would do nothing in regards to the Hong Kong protests?

Either or both positions are supportable based upon the concept of real politik. So the term real politik is of German origin. Now I know.

As to making this public, I have mixed feelings. In 2014 I called our involvement in Ukraine the stupidest move ever made by a major world power. Since then I've seen nothing substantial that would change my opinion on that. As for the Hong Kong protests, we don't know much about them akin with much evidence that these aren't freedom fights. In the midst of a trade dispute, it probably wouldn't have been prudent to open up a new front for essentially no potential gain along with hig3 downside risks.

IF and it is a big IF either of these are the case, make it public. This forces Trump opponents to defend questionable policies. Unfortunately by making it public this risks undermining all conversations between POTUS and foreign leaders that may well reverberate well beyond Trump's terms as POTUS. We should be very circumspect about this.

While we cannot "know" what is happening without inside information in real time, in a dispute between Trump and the Intel community I would tend to trust Trump's judgement.

Anonymous said...

Neal Katyal: "This is going to be huge. DOJ & Admin are contorting themselves backwards to try to hide this. Truth will come out. There are probably tapes and transcripts documenting a gross abuse of power by Trump. Gonna be ugly. And enablers should all face consequences."
twitter.com/neal_k...
Trump, who is eagerly killing environmental protections -- from the Paris Climate Agreement, to limits on pollution from cars, pollution in water, even energy efficient light bulbs -- now wants to cite San Francisco with an EPA violation over homeless people.
nbcnews.com/news/u...
Putin cannot leave power in Russia because he knows what happens to mafia bosses who try to retire. Trump is in a similar position, afraid to lose presidential immunity. Two desperate men with great power. Watch out.
twitter.com/Kaspar...
Key point: the Inspector General who is fighting the Acting DNI to transmit this info to Congress WAS APPOINTED BY TRUMP. If this alarms him, it’s bound to alarm us.
twitter.com/EricCo...

Anonymous said...

THIS IS AMUSING,ROMANTIC,HARMLESS

Anonymous said...

Trump, in front of reporters, asks the commanding general of US Army Corps of Engineers to tell everybody about the cool secret wires in his border wall // General responds, in front of reporters: "Sir, there could be some merit in not discussing that."
huffpost.com/entry/...

Anonymous said...

Poslter
If you were not a troll I would say you were a moron
Trump has told how many lies, daily, weekly, each month? Buit you would trust his judgement rather than that of CIA, FBI, and NSA?
now pretend you are hard at work at this time of day in Houston

Anonymous said...

As the whistleblower story gets worse for Trump, his corruption keeps spreading

Anonymous said...

B Imposter

"What if Trump promised ..."

I believe Finland, Ukraine, Georgia and Mongolia should be part of NATO.

That said why make noises about it, if you will not, cannot or desire not deliver it?

Making noises about it and not following through might be more dangerous than promising it and then pulling the rug out later. The latter might be the better strategy.

Imposter here is something for your collection.

https://generalaviationnews.com/2017/08/23/8-random-facts-about-the-piper-cub/

Anonymous said...

Many whistle blowers are lefties. Why? Not just because they want a certain world, but they break all normal rules (like forming mobs or releasing confidential material or calling a family man a gang banger in front of his daughters. ..) ..this story will go nowhere and our SJWs and virtue signallers will keep jerking off to what is most likely a leftie hit job and to give it some credibility a Democrat senator or from congress got involved to "formally protest". Yaaaaaaaaaawn

B.Poster said...

Anon (10:32)

Due to inclement weather in the area I am unable to get to my office today and am taking care of family members.

My posts stays on the topic of the editor's post and expresses sentiments similar to those of anon @ 8:59. By definition this would not be trolling.

Whose judgement is to be trusted when conclusions conflict and our information is limited will be a judgement call. Given the track records of the CIA and NSA, I consider treating their conclusions with extreme skepticism. Add to this FBI behavior regarding all things Trunp, I'm skeptical of them in this regard as well. Expressing such concerns as they pertain to the topic at hand and they do would not be trolling.

On the other hand, you make a not so subtle attempt to impugn my character and you try and change the subject to other topics by alleging lies by POTUS elsewhere. Both of these actions would meet the definition of troll making you a troll.

For what it's worth each instance of alleged Trump "lies" would need to be examined individually to determine the validity of the claim. Given the fact that in many cases the accusers have been trying to destroy Trump since before he was nominated and they've distorted things so many times I tend to discount their claims. In any event, IMHO extreme skepticism needs to be applied to their allegations.

B.Poster said...

Anon (10:59)

Good post!! The "imposter" insult isn't necessary. Very respectfully if Trump promised the countries you mention entry into NATO I don't think this would be an issue. These nations would likely jump at the opportunity. There's huge upside potential in this for them along with no downside risks and there's plenty of sentiment among US leadership for NATO expansion. Whether or not it would happen would be a different matter but something like this wouldn't result in a whistle blower complaint. For what it's worth, I'd likely oppose such a policy.

IMHO the issue in question likely centers on conversations between Russian, Chinese, or North Korean leaders. The so called Intelligence officials have generally opposed Trump in these areas seeking to undermine the efforts. Thus far no one has submitted a third way that is a better option. Until such time trump's approach to these countries appears to me to be the better approach.

Make the whole thing public, force critics to defend dubious policies, and we the people know what is going on. A good thing? In many ways it is.

With that said leaking details of conversations between people that they expect to be kept confidential will have reverberations far beyond Trump. In seeking to keep this classified, I suspect people are thinking about such things.

Thank you for the link!! Time permitting I will pursue it.

B.Poster said...

Anon (10:59),

Thank you for the link about the random facts about the piper cub, very interesting article. If I got the link right, there are 8 facts presented. While they are very interesting, I'm still trying to figure out how it pertains to the topic of the editor's post. Thank you for sharing it. I enjoy learning new things.

Anonymous said...

Imposter,

There was nothing subtle at all. I called you an Imposter, period end of story.

In my professional opinion the specific type of troll you are is a leprosy troll. I believe the analogy is apt.

Anonymous said...


The info on the wires would get out through a leak or through outright destruction of the wall by coyotes, cartel members or others.

These people have destroyed parts of the wall before to the applause of liberals. At such times liberals actually peak and need a change of underwear.

When part of new wall is destroyed, liberals will applaud all over again. They should wear adult diapers.

Bob Huntley said...

Anon

In Canada we don't for for the person we want as PM. There are many reasons to vote for somebody like Justin Trudeau's party, the Liberals, but voting against you own best interests because you don't like the current party leader is asinine and self defeating.

Note the duration of the campaign for the election of the Federal government in Canada.

B.Poster said...

Anon (12:10),

I agree there was nothing subtle in your attempt to insult me. I have tried to shown you nothing but kindness and respect. In my opinion, such things make you a troll and if you're unable to discuss complex issues without insulting and if you're unable to remain on topic perhaps you should consider not posting or post sparingly when you're actually prepared to discuss a topic at length.

Generally I post sparingly and only when I'm able to take the time and effort to carefully analyze, study, and think through a situation. Maybe you could consider the same approach. The trouble with an anonymous poster is I never know which anonymous I'm actually addressing.

You use a "professional opinion" to label me a "leprosy troll" yet you've never actually taken the time or effort to. Contact me to properly investigate. This would generally render you unqualified to make such a judgement. Ample information had been supplied on this website for you to contact me yet you've made no effort to do so. As such, your judgement lacks credibility.

As to the term "leprosy troll," leprosy attacks a body with the intent to feed on it ultimately consuming and destroying it. I do not do this. I attempt to add value to all discussions here. If I'm asked a question directly, I try to answer very respectfully, and I'm willing to acknowledge when I'm in error.

We must always be willing to challenge preconceived notions. Perhaps this is why I'm singled out for special venom. When a preconceived notion is challenged and the holder of such beliefs cannot support them with facts, insults often result. Perhaps such people need what is commonly called an "echo chamber" or perhaps a "safe space."

As leprosy destroys a body, so do echo chambers and so called safe spaces. As such, you would seem a note likely candidate than me to be a so called "leprosy troll."

With this said if you can site specific examples where I am in error preferably within the context of the editor's post, they can be addressed. I always seek to learn.

Anonymous said...

dear Poster/comrade
I do not need to document lies from Trump...a number of papers have consistently done that on a weekly basis and continue to do that. And yes, I trust those sources. and no, I know the President lies and yes, I know you are a russian hire

B.Poster said...

Anon (12:53),

I suspect these are the same papers who have been trying to destroy Trump since before he was nominated. As such, you do not need to "document" as you are part of the same echo chamber.

Since you are unable to support your position as it pertains to the editor's post based upon facts or a reasoned analysis, you resort to insults and trying to change the topic (trolling).

You already know I'm not Russian nor am I a Russian hire. You deliberately chose to slander me. To assist those who aren't aware of this, I'm supplying my contact information.

My name is Robert Foshee. I'm a Certified Public Accountant in Conroe, TX (40 miles north of Houston.) My company website is www.fosheecpa.com My work email is rob@fosheecpa.com

Anonymous said...

"I'm still trying to figure out how it pertains to the topic of the editor's post. Thank you for sharing it. I enjoy learning new things."

None were pertinent to the topic at hand.

I thought that a military man such as yourself would enjoy them.

B.Poster said...

Anon (1:34),

I suppose since I always try very hard to stay on topic I assumed the link would be to. In some cases a diversion from the topic is good. In this case it was!! Thank you for sharing this!!

fred said...

AT LEAST THERE IS A BRIGHT SIDE TO THIS

Blackdog said...

What happened to everyone’s concerns about the constitution. This is not a Snowden moment. This person is doing the right thing, in the right way. The legal way. It is the ODNI that is not following the law.

Anonymous said...

BREAKING:

This from the July 31st phone call

Trump: "After my election I have more flexibility."

Medvedev: “I will transmit this information to Vladimir”

That bastard Trump was going to sell us out by cutting our nuclear arsenal in 1/2.

I for one am extremely, extremely glad that the Deep State is spying on Trump.