Zerohedge
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
While President Trump is now accusing Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) of ‘helping to write’ a CIA whistleblower’s complaint at the heart of an impeachment inquiry, the New York Times is out with a Wednesday article designed to put distance between the House Intelligence Committee Chairman and the accusation – suggesting Schiff had no more than a vague sneak peek.
Jason Easley on Twitter: “Trump claims Adam Schiff wrote the whistleblower complaint. pic.twitter.com/jSv6pe9lcT / Twitter”
Trump claims Adam Schiff wrote the whistleblower complaint. pic.twitter.com/jSv6pe9lcT
As The Times reports, “The Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, learned about the outlines of a C.I.A. officer’s concerns that President Trump had abused his power days before the officer filed a whistle-blower complaint,” adding “the original accusation was vague,” and “The aide did not share the whistle-blower’s identity with Mr. Schiff or anyone else.”
So – according to the Times, Schiff kinda sorta knew what the whistleblower said, and a House Intel Committee aide told him (or her) to get an attorney – Andrew Bakaj – who “interned for Schumer in the spring of 2001 and for Clinton in the fall of the same year,” per The Federalist.
The Times goes to great lengths to explain that nothing was untwoard.
“Like other whistle-blowers have done before and since under Republican and Democratic-controlled committees, the whistle-blower contacted the committee for guidance on how to report possible wrongdoing within the jurisdiction of the intelligence community,” said Schiff spokesman Patrick Boland.
Lee Zeldin on Twitter: “Shocker (not really)…@RepAdamSchiff knew the whistleblower’s allegations before the whistleblower’s atty & before there was a whistleblower complaint. No surprise who told this person to be a whistleblower, hire an atty & file a complaint w no 1st hand knowledge. https://t.co/yeg2lwOagV / Twitter”
Shocker (not really)…@RepAdamSchiff knew the whistleblower’s allegations before the whistleblower’s atty & before there was a whistleblower complaint. No surprise who told this person to be a whistleblower, hire an atty & file a complaint w no 1st hand knowledge. https://t.co/yeg2lwOagV
Trump, meanwhile, is gunning for Schiff.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said Mr. Schiff should be forced to resign for reading a parody of the Ukraine call at a hearing, an act Mr. Trump has called treasonous and criminal.
“We don’t call him shifty Schiff for nothing,” said Mr. Trump. “He’s a shifty dishonest guy.”
Mr. Schiff’s aides followed procedures involving the C.I.A. officer’s accusations, Mr. Boland said. They referred the C.I.A. officer to the inspector general for the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, and advised him to seek legal counsel.
Mr. Schiff never saw the full complaint or knew precisely what the whistle-blower would deliver to Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Boland said. -NYT
GOP spokeswoman Elizabeth Harrington, meanwhile, responded to the Times‘ article – calling the whistleblower saga ‘COLLUSION’ and a ‘CON JOB’ in a Wednesday afternoon tweet.
Liz Harrington on Twitter: “”The whistle-blower’s decision to offer what amounted to an early warning to the intelligence committee’s Democrats is also sure to thrust Mr. Schiff even more forcefully into the center of the controversy.”Ya think?!Yes, people should take CIA coup attempts very seriously! / Twitter”
“The whistle-blower’s decision to offer what amounted to an early warning to the intelligence committee’s Democrats is also sure to thrust Mr. Schiff even more forcefully into the center of the controversy.”Ya think?!Yes, people should take CIA coup attempts very seriously!
Finally, if this process seems vaguely familiar, it’s because it should be: as the Federalist’s Sean Davis writes, this is a carbon copy of what happened with Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations aimed at sabotaging Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1179485325690843144
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Obviously the person referred to – if such a person even exists – is not a whistleblower but a Deep State operative.
Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden are whistleblowers: one is in prison (seemingly forever), and the other one is in exile (seemingly forever) to avoid being in prison forever.
Julian Assange is a person who merely helped whistleblowers. And he is being slowly, methodically destroyed in a way rarely depicted even in the most frightening SF.
O’Brien, the brutal secret police chief in “1984”, would whistle with admiration at what they are doing to Assange.
Manning is sitting in prison until he/she agrees to testilie against Assange. I don’t care what gender Manning chooses. There’s more man there than all of Congress put together.
Well, Snowden himself was essentially a Deep State operative, that saw the light. Guess that doesn’t really count for much.
Trump may be a lot of unsavory things but sometimes he comes off like a true idiot savant. VERY probable, even HIGHLY likely (bulletproof proof that last one is) that Schiffty Schiff authored that flowing legalistic prose.
“According to the Times, Schiff kinda sorta knew what the whistle blower said, and a House Intel Committee aide told him (or her) to get an attorney – Andrew Bakaj – who “interned for Schumer in the spring of 2001 and for Clinton in the fall of the same year.” Andrew Bakaj should be called to give Public Testimony before Congress. That is a far cry from Trump’s crocodile tears Schiff wrote it. Trump’s BLIND followers will accept that fake news as the truth because he says it over and over again. What the whistle-blower revealed so far has been… Read more »
“The Notes the White House released to the Public leaves out 20 minutes of the conversation, very close to the 18-1/2 minute missing Nixon tape.” There is absolutely no evidence for such a claim. It is fantasy on your behalf. Zelensky would have been the first to contact Democrats to announce this if it was the case. He did not “What has come out is the Inspector-General thought the information was serious enough, it should be brought to the attention of the House Intelligence Committee according the procedure in the Law.” The IG was not privy to the ACTUAL transcript… Read more »
“Others have noted the brevity of a document purporting to represent a call that lasted 30 minutes” Washington Post, October 2 “The White House on Wednesday released a “memorandum” documenting the July 25 conversation between the president and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. The record of their 30-minute call, which took place just a day after special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress,” Politico, September 25. Search Google for the White House NOTES of the conversation. The White House says the conversation lasted from 9:03 to 9:33- 30 minutes. It takes less that 10 minutes to read the White House… Read more »
Quote: “What the whistle-blower revealed so far has been borne out by Trump’s own words ” Even if so, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Besides, what Trump couldn’t articulate is that by investigating Biden’s wheeling and dealing,, that whole can of Ukrainian worms undermining our elections (and Ukraine’s too, to be blunt), and maybe a whole lot more that certain circles are deathly afraid of, might eventually and rightfully be exposed. Ukraine was, after all, a thoroughly illegal coup d’etat. In short; follow the corruption. Not hard to find in Ukraine. PS: Your sense of… Read more »
1. I’m not American looking at this from the Republican-Democratic Political War. 2. I believe the US under Obama, Biden, Clinton and Nuland orchestrated the Coup/regime change of the Russian friendly Ukraine government the Russian speaking Majorities in Crimea and East Ukraine VOTED for, installing a Neo-Nazi anti-Russian government. 3. I have never seen a serial liar that has been exposed so often for his lies like Trump, and believed without question by his blind Faith followers 4. There is no evidence Schiff saw the whistle-blower complaint except for the general outlines Andrew Bakaj presented. 4. The habitual liar Trump… Read more »