Impeach Inquiry Update: Acting DNI Joseph Maguire Testifies About Whistleblower Complaint

President took the offensive Thursday, accusing Democrats of trying to destroy the Republican Party and denying there is a case for impeachment as his acting director of national intelligence testified on Capitol Hill about a damning whistleblower complaint over Trump’s July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine.

Acting DNI Joseph Maguire testified before the House Intelligence Committee about the whistleblower complaint concerning Trump’s request that Ukraine work with Attorney General William Barr and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to investigate political rival Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

The complaint was released shortly before Maguire’s testimony began. It says the White House tried to “lock down” all information about the call. The transcript was placed in an electronic system reserved for handling “classified information of an especially sensitive nature.”

The complaint was deemed “urgent” and credible by the inspector general for the intelligence community, but it was not forwarded to Congress as required by law.

Maguire said handling of the complaint was complicated because it was centered on an individual, the president, who was not a member of the intelligence community. The inspector general referred the complaint to the Justice Department to determine whether campaign finance laws had been broken.

The Justice Department declined to investigate.

"Relying on established procedures set forth in the Justice Manual, the department’s Criminal Division reviewed the official record of the call and determined, based on the facts and applicable law, that there was no campaign finance violation and that no further action was warranted," Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday directed the Judiciary Committee to initiate an impeachment inquiry. Among the questions is whether Trump solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election.

Trump released a reconstructed transcript of the July 25 call Wednesday, which took place after he had frozen nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine to help fight Russian aggression. Though Trump did not explicitly say he would release the aid in exchange for Zelensky’s cooperation, he did remind his Ukrainian counterpart of the “help” the U.S. has provided in the past.

Republicans lawmakers tried to shift the focus of Thursday’s hearing to who leaked information about the call and the complaint rather than the substance of the complaint and why the Justice Department advised Maguire he did not have to turn over the complaint.

Maguire said the White House did not pressure him to withhold the complaint. Rather, it took longer than the seven days mandated by law for transmission to “work through” executive privilege questions. He said the whistleblower protection act does not authorize members of the intelligence community to transmit information about someone outside the intelligence apparatus. He sought a Justice Department opinion because “different lawyers have different opinions.”

Maguire said he “endeavored” to get this information to the committee.

Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community, testified behind closed doors last week.

“The Democrats are trying to destroy the Republican Party,” Trump tweeted in all caps.

He also denied there’s any case for impeachment.