The White House is preparing to release to Congress by the end of the week both the whistleblower complaint and the Inspector General report that are at the center of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, reversing its position after withholding the documents from lawmakers.
The move shows the level of seriousness with which the administration is now approaching the House‘s new impeachment proceedings, even as President Trump publicly tried to minimize the inquiry as a “witch hunt” or “presidential harassment,” or a move that will help him win his 2020 reelection campaign.
White House and intelligence officials are also working out a deal to allow the whistleblower who filed an explosive complaint about Trump to speak with congressional investigators.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats that in a private call that she had with Trump today, he said was not responsible for the whistleblower complaint being withheld from Congress and would like to find a way to share it.
Trump and his aides had initially rejected congressional requests to examine the complaint.
But as pressure has built in the House to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, administration officials concluded that holding out would put them in a politically untenable position.
The White House’s decision to give lawmakers any information on the whistleblower complaint marks a major change of strategy for the administration, which originally seemed intent on keeping the complaint private.
Acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire, so far, has declined to turn over the complaint to congressional intelligence committees as required by law.
The White House counsel’s office and Justice Department have spent the last few days reviewing whistleblower laws.
Trump’s advisers believe any appearance that they are stonewalling Congress could prove more damaging than the whistleblower’s account.
Trump also believes that the allegations about him are not nearly as damning as they have been portrayed and that disclosing them will clear his name.
Intelligence community lawyers sent a letter to the whistle-blower’s lawyers on today, indicating that the office was trying to work out the issues that would allow the whistleblower to speak with Congress
Andrew P. Bakaj, a lawyer for the whistleblower, had sent a letter to the director of national intelligence earlier today, saying that his client wanted to meet with members of Congress but needed the office’s approval.
“We applaud the decision to release the whistle-blower complaint as it establishes that, ultimately, the lawful whistle-blower disclosure process can work,” said Mr. Bakaj and I. Charles McCullough III, the lawyers for the whistle-blower.
Intelligence community lawyers have had discussions with the White House and the Justice Department officials about how the whistleblower can share his complaint without infringing on issues like executive privilege.
A meeting with the whistleblower could provide House Democrats with additional material as they build a case for the president’s impeachment.
The precise nature of the whistle-blower’s complaint has not been made public.
Allowing the whistleblower to meet with investigators would allow the whistleblower to share at least some details of the complaint he filed — which relates to Trump’s efforts to get the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son — even if the full document is not handed over to Congress.