The White House is denying a report that said President Trump’s acting spy chief threatened to resign if he could not speak freely about a whistleblower complaint filed to the intelligence community inspector general this summer.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire told the White House he was not willing to “stonewall” Congress, officials told the Washington Post.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham shot back soon after the report was published. “This is actually not true. And we would have gone on the record to say that if the @washingtonpost had given us more than 6 minutes (literally) to respond,” she said.
Maguire released a statement also denying the report. “At no time have I considered resigning my position since assuming this role on Aug. 16, 2019. I have never quit anything in my life, and I am not going to start now,” he said.
Lawmakers have for weeks demanded the complaint and related details about it after the intelligence community inspector general notified the House Intelligence Committee of the complaint’s existence. The complaint touches on Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he asked for Ukraine’s help in investigating a matter related to former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential rival in the 2020 election, according to a transcript released Wednesday.
Democrats argue that because the intelligence community inspector general found the complaint to be “credible” and “urgent,” statute demands Maguire give the intelligence committees access to the complaint.
Yet after receiving guidance from the White House and Justice Department, Maguire said that because the subject of the complaint sits outside of his jurisdiction, he is not bound by that statute to give the complaint to Congress. The Justice Department received a criminal referral about a potential campaign finance violation in relation to Trump’s phone conversation with Zelensky but declined to take action after a review.
Maguire is scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee in a rare open session on Thursday. The Senate Intelligence Committee is also expected to interview Maguire in a closed session that day.
The complaint was submitted on Aug. 12, four days after Trump picked Maguire, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, to be acting director of national intelligence with the departure of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and his deputy Sue Gordon.
“In light of recent reporting on the whistleblower complaint, I want to make clear that I have upheld my responsibility to follow the law every step of the way,” Maguire said in a statement Tuesday evening.
“I am committed to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring every complaint is handled appropriately,” Maguire said. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and Congress to find a resolution regarding this important matter.”
