Since the impeachment process started, President Trump has wrongly stated that rules for whistleblowers had changed to not require firsthand information. Now the intelligence community is pushing back.
The claim: Trump and his loyalists say the whistleblower lacked firsthand knowledge of Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president on July 25. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) even accused the whistle-blower of using “hearsay.”
WHO CHANGED THE LONG STANDING WHISTLEBLOWER RULES JUST BEFORE SUBMITTAL OF THE FAKE WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT? DRAIN THE SWAMP!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019
Just wrong: On Monday the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence community issued this statement:
“The Disclosure of Urgent Concern form the Complainant submitted on August 12, 2019 is the same form the ICIG has had in place since May 24, 2018, which went into effect before Inspector General Atkinson entered on duty.”
In other words this wasn’t a recent change.
Also: The letter makes it clear that by law the complainant, “need not possess first-hand information in order to file a complaint or information with respect to an urgent concern.”
And the whistle-blower “stated on the form that he or she possessed both first-hand and other information” and that they had “direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct.”
This again undercuts the key claims made by President Trump and his allies.