>> WE’RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THE BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
THAT YOU STARTED IN THE LAST
HOUR.
HOUR. >> THANKS, LAWRENCE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE’RE JOINED BY ONE OF THE
REPORTERS WHO BROKE THIS STORY
FOR "THE WASHINGTON POST," A
NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER FOR
"THE WASHINGTON POST."
ELLEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US TONIGHT WITH THIS
BREAKING NEWS.
BREAKING NEWS. ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED IN
THE LAW, IS THAT IT SAYS THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL HAS A DUTY TO
COMMUNICATE WITH THE EMPLOYEE.
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL HAS A DUTY
TO LET THE EMPLOYEE KNOW WHAT
HAS HAPPENED.
HAS HAPPENED. SO IT’S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT
THE EMPLOYEE KNOWS WHAT HAS
HAPPENED BEFORE READING IT IN
YOUR NEWSPAPER TONIGHT.
>> IT’S POSSIBLE.
WE DID CONTACT THE WHISTLE
BLOWER’S ATTORNEY WHO HAD NO
COMMENT ON THE STORY SO WE
ASSUME THAT CERTAINLY BY NOW THE
WHISTLE BLOWER KNOWS.
>> WHAT IS THE REPORTING THAT
HAS NARROWED THIS DOWN TO THE
INFORMATION APPEARS TO INVOLVE
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES?
STATES? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LETTERS THAT
WERE EXCHANGED BY THE OFFICE OF
THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE AND THE GENERAL
COUNSEL THERE, AND THE HILL, AS
WELL AS LETTERS FROM ADAM
SCHIFF, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
BACK TO DNI JOSEPH MAGUIRE, IT’S
QUITE CLEAR THEY POINT THE WAY
THE LETTERS SPECIFY, FIRST OF
ALL THE WHISTLE BLOWER IS
SOMEONE INSIDE THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY REPORTING CONDUCT BY
SOMEONE WHO IS NOT INSIDE THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. THAT CONDUCT COULD POTENTIALLY
INVOLVE PRIVILEGED
INVOLVE PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS.
COMMUNICATIONS. THAT NARROWS IT DOWN ALREADY.
PRETTY MUCH TO THERE IS REALLY
ONLY ONE ENTITY IN THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT OUTSIDE THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY THAT
MIGHT HAVE ACCESS TO SUCH
SENSITIVE INFORMATION AND CLAIM
PRIVILEGE OVER IT AND THAT IS
THE WHITE HOUSE.
AT THAT POINT A LIMITED SET OF
PEOPLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
THEN FROM THERE, WE’VE GOT
SOURCES WE SPOKE TO INCLUDING
TWO FORMER U.S. OFFICIALS WHO
CONFIRMED FOR US THAT THE
COMPLAINT INVOLVED A PHONE CALL
OR INVOLVED A COMMUNICATION THAT
TRUMP HAD WITH A FOREIGN LEADER
AND A PROMISE OF SOME SORT AND
ONE OF THOSE FORMER OFFICIALS
SAID IT WAS A PHONE CALL IN
RECENT MONTHS.
RECENT MONTHS. >> AND THE -- YOU HAVE REPORTING
IN YOUR STORY THAT INDICATES
THAT THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE MAGUIRE IS
TORN, IS NOT PLEASED WITH WHAT
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS DONE
IN ITS INTERVENTION IN THIS CASE
AND IS NOT PLEASED WITH WHAT THE
WHITE HOUSE HAS DONE.
>> WELL, WHAT WE KNOW, WHAT
WE’RE HEARING, FIRST OF ALL, THE
ACTING DNI JOSEPH MAGUIRE IS NOT
SOMEONE WHO WAS ANGLING FOR THIS
JOB.
JOB. HE WAS KIND OF PUT INTO IT AFTER
DNI DANIEL COATS WAS, YOU KNOW,
BASICALLY ASKED TO RESIGN.
AND THEN HIS DEPUTY SUE GORDON
WAS ALSO SORT OF ASKED TO
RESIGN.
RESIGN. AND SO THERE WAS A VACANCY.
HE GOT TAPPED.
IT WASN’T SOMETHING HE WAS
LOOKING FOR.
LOOKING FOR. HE’S NOT A CAREER INTELLIGENCE
PERSON WHO CAME UP THROUGH THE
SPY RANKS LET’S SAY.
HERE HE IS, NEW TO THE JOB, AND
HE IS THRUST INTO THIS VERY
POLITICALLY PERILOUS SITUATION,
AND THIS IS NOT SOMETHING --
HE’S NOT A LAWYER, VERY MUCH NOT
FAMILIAR WITH THIS ISSUE.
AND WE’RE TOLD HE’S NOT, YOU
KNOW, HE FEELS SORT OF CAUGHT
BETWEEN HIS COMPETING INSTINCTS.
>> I WANT TO QUOTE YOUR
REPORTING ON WHY HE HAS NOT
COMPLIED WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW.
YOUR REPORTING SAYS THE DNI HAS
ASSERTED THAT LAWYERS DETERMINED
THERE WAS NO NOTIFICATION
REQUIREMENT BECAUSE THE WHISTLE
BLOWER COMPLAINT DID NOT
CONSTITUTE AN URGENT CONCERN
THAT WAS WITHIN THE
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY OF
MAGUIRE’S OFFICE.
MAGUIRE’S OFFICE. DO YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION WHERE
THEY GOT, WHAT WAS THE BASIS OF
THAT LEGAL OPINION?
BECAUSE I CAN’T FIND ANYTHING IN
THE LAW THAT THAT WOULD POINT
TO.
TO. >> IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATUTE,
THERE IS A LINE WHERE THEY
DEFINE URGENT CONCERN, AND IT,
YOU KNOW, URGENT CONCERN
INVOLVES A FLAGRANT ABUSE OF
POWER, A PROBLEM RELATING TO AN
INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITY THAT IS,
DOT, DOT, DOT, WITHIN THE
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY OF
THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE.
INTELLIGENCE. AND I BELIEVE THAT’S WHERE THEY
GOT THAT.
GOT THAT. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS APPARENT TO ME
THAT THE INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR
THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
DETERMINED THAT THIS WAS AN
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ACTIVITY
WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE ODNI
AND, THEREFORE, THIS WAS
SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, HE
COULD TAKE A LOOK AT.
>> DID YOUR SOURCES HAVE ANY
INDICATION OF WHO THE PRESIDENT
COULD HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH?
>> WE DID NOT GET ANY INDICATION