Commentary
The timing of the most recent
whistleblower complaint is somewhat suspicious.
Given that the inspector general’s (IG) report pertaining to Russia and possible Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse is currently in the hands of Attorney General
William Barr, a discussion about some alleged and hypothetical “wrongdoing” involving the president and a foreign individual could certainly deflect the attention away from what might be in store for some members of the deep state when the IG report is released to the public.
The most recent whistleblower complaint was brought up at an opportune time for those on the left side of the political aisle. The specific allegations in the complaint are unknown, yet they appear to deal with one or more telephone conversations between President Donald Trump and a foreign leader (
possibly the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky) whereby the president allegedly made some sort of “promise” that was possibly related to former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
According to
Vox, “the whistleblower works in the US intelligence community (which includes the CIA, the NSA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and a whole bunch of other agencies).” This is the same “intelligence community” that included individuals such as James Comey, John Brennan, and Robert Mueller. Per
The Washington Post, the whistleblower “once worked on the staff of the White House National Security Council, which frequently borrows intelligence community personnel.”
However, as reported by
CNN, citing an official who was briefed on the matter: “The whistleblower didn’t have direct knowledge of the communications ... 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.”
Notwithstanding, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has demanded the release of the complaint pursuant to the applicable whistleblower law, although his demands have thus far been denied on various legal and constitutional grounds. So far, there has been no evidence of any wrongdoing by the president with regard to these alleged communications. Regardless, Schiff has threatened to pursue legal action and to
withhold funding should the complaint not be released.
Had this happened before Trump took office, things would have likely been perceived differently. However, given the bias against the president and the vengeful pursuit by congressional Democrats, some in the intelligence community (i.e., the deep state), and the liberal media mouthpieces to remove the president from office, it’s not unreasonable to view this report and the relevant timing with great skepticism.
Assuming that Trump did speak with the Ukrainian leader, would this constitute an improper act? According to Trump’s lawyer
Rudy Giuliani, the answer appears to be no.
Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, agreed, stating to CNN: “He has very wide authority, really unchecked authority, to talk to world leaders about anything he deems appropriate as he is representing the United States of America. ... If this were able to go forward, any staffer in an agency could constantly hobble a democratic president, duly elected.”
Of course, many also argue that it’s not the job of Congress to eavesdrop, or to listen to, the president’s private telephone conversations, let alone those involving foreign affairs. Regardless, Schiff and other Democrats in Congress are, once again, trying to create a narrative that the president engaged in some sort of wrongdoing.
While Schiff and other Democrats want the U.S. people to believe that the president has committed an improper or illegal act, Schiff is facing a significant credibility problem. The U.S. people are smart and can easily see through the Democrats’ “revolving door” tactics. More particularly, every time there’s a Democratic loss or setback or a Republican victory, the Democrats try to change the narrative or find another alleged “story” in hopes it will stick and gain traction.
For example, when Justice
Brett Kavanaugh was nominated by Trump, Democrats engaged in a false and vile smear campaign against him and his family. When Robert Mueller failed to find any collusion or obstruction against the president, Democrats attacked
William Barr. Somewhere along the lines, Trump was also accused of violating
campaign finance laws. Now, with the pending public release of the
IG report regarding the Russia investigation and the potential FISA warrant abuse, Democrats in Congress have turned their attention to alleged violations of the
Emoluments Clause (which many people have never heard of) and the whistleblower complaint in hopes of averting the IG’s ultimate findings, which could be very damaging.
Congressional Democrats are running out of time. The IG report is currently in Barr’s hands and will soon be made public. From supposed Russia collusion or obstruction and alleged campaign finance violations, to an alleged violation of the Emoluments Clause and an allegedly improper telephone call with a foreign leader, the level of desperation among Democrats is palpable and has reached a very sad, yet concerning, level.
Hopefully, with time, justice will be served against those who tried to mount a coup against Trump. Until that time, Democrats will continue to try to “hook” the U.S. public with their “creative,” yet desperate, stories about the president. Fortunately, Americans have grown tired of hearing them and are way too smart to believe them.
Elad Hakim is a writer, commentator, and attorney. His articles have been published in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, The Algemeiner, The Western Journal, American Thinker, and other online publications.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
