There is a whistleblower. The whistleblower did lodge a complaint with the intelligence community inspector general. The complaint is about communications between President Trump and the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. There is an issue with the complaint. The person who made it did not have “direct knowledge.”
Were you there, what did you hear?
The person making the allegation was not a party to the communications. That did not stop them from complaining. It did not stop the press from running with the story. It did not stop the outrage brigade from going into hyperdrive. But, shouldn’t we have first-hand information before acceptance of such a claim as valid? Failing first-hand information shouldn’t we insist on corroboration from at least another source or two? Isn’t that what a journalistic approach requires?
This new revelation was in a CNN report detailing the fallout over the alleged July 25 phone call. Without direct knowledge how do we know there was a phone call between Trump and Zelensky? Even if there was a call how do we know its content? Sure there is an allegation. Trump has allegedly asked Zelensky multiple times to help Rudy Giuliani investigate Hunter Biden.
CNN knew or should have known…
According to CNN, the whistleblower complaint was filed on nothing more than hearsay:
“The whistleblower didn’t have direct knowledge of the communications, an official briefed on the matter told CNN. Instead, the whistleblower’s concerns came in part from learning information that was not obtained during the course of their work, and those details have played a role in the administration’s determination that the complaint didn’t fit the reporting requirements under the intelligence whistleblower law, the official said.
The standoff over what?
The revelation unravels the whistleblower scandal that enveloped the president this week. The Washington Post reported, “Trump’s communications with the foreign leader are part of whistleblower complaint that spurred standoff between spy chief and Congress, former officials say.”
According to the Post, Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson determined the complaint to be of “urgent concern,” which meant it needed to be shared with congressional investigators. What does this tell us about general Atkinson? Have you ever heard of the Peter Principle? However, acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire disagreed and declined to hand it over, presumably because it was based on unconfirmed rumor.
What those who were there say
On Saturday, Ukranian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko defended Trump.
“I know what the conversation was about and I think there was no pressure,” he told media, Fox News reported. “There was talk, conversations are different, leaders have the right to discuss any problems that exist. This conversation was long, friendly, and it touched on many questions, sometimes requiring serious answers.”
Conclusion
Are we ever going to give up the succession of wrap up smears carried out against the President? When are journalists and those making allegations without corroboration going to be accountable? Selling advertising through use of clickbait is what causes newspapers to be making birdcage liner.