Thread by @saradannerdukic

Cutting in from the verbal diarrhea people are calling a press conference to discuss something.

We still do not have the whistle blower complaint. While we wait for it (or really, for Congress to get it), let’s learn.

According to this letter from Schiff, the Inspector General (IG) has apparently stated that the complaint “relates to one of the most significant and important of the DNI’s responsibilities to the American people.”
intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/…

Pelosi also reiterated this in her statement yesterday.

Pelosi also points out she was involved in creating the position of DNI. She served on House Intelligence for 25 years as a member, ranking member, + part of the “Gang of 4” She was also there when the whistle blower laws - the one the current DNI has broken - were written.

What is the DNI, exactly?

The position of Director of National Intelligence was created in response to 9/11.

The 9/11 Commission “proposed sweeping change in the Intelligence Community, including the creation of a National Intelligence Director.”
dni.gov/index.php/who-…

The 9/11 commission led to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act of 2004, which was signed into law in December of that year. In addition to creating the position of DNI, it also created the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
nytimes.com/2004/12/17/pol…

Here’s the actual law:
congress.gov/bill/108th-con…

The bill was introduced by Susan Collins. Co-sponsors included: Dick Durban, John McCain, Dianne Feinstein, Hillary Clinton.
congress.gov/bill/108th-con…

The main reason for the creation of the position was to “integrate all sources of information to see the enemy as a whole.” (rather than having each agency do their own thing and not necessarily communicate with each other)
govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911…

The creation of the position was a massive reorganization of our intelligence forces, and was “intended to force better coordination of the competitive and secretive agencies.”
nytimes.com/2005/04/22/pol…

The first DNI was confirmed in 2005, “with key senators urging him to assert his power quickly over the nation's 15 spy agencies, improve their sharing of information and upgrade their intelligence collection on terrorism and other threats.”
nytimes.com/2005/04/22/pol…

At the swearing-in of the first DNI, President Bush said the following were among the principal duties of the new position:
-making sure that those whose duty it is to defend America have the information we need to make the right decisions.

-ensuring that our intelligence agencies work as a single, unified enterprise.

Of the agencies that the DNI oversees, Bush said that DNI is:
“relying on the thousands of dedicated professionals working in our intelligence community. These men and women serve America with a wide variety of talents and expertise...

..."They all report to work everyday with the same goal: to protect our fellow citizens from harm.”

He also said:
“Well-integrated, effective intelligence efforts are America's first line of defense against the threats”

(source for swearing-in remarks): georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/…

Before Coates, the DNI was James Clapper. Here’s what he had to say about Trump:
cnn.com/videos/politic…

The appointment of a DNI requires the approval of the Senate. Same for any principal deputies.
nytimes.com/2004/12/17/pol…

When Dan Coates resigned, Trump refused to allow his deputy (Susan Gordan) to assume the position of acting DNI.
nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/…

As per federal statute:
law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50…

Not long after that, Coates interrupted a meeting to tell Gordan that she needed to resign.
cnn.com/2019/08/09/pol…

If there is a vacancy in the position of Deputy DNI, there is a presidential directive stipulating that the line of succession should then go to deputy DNI for intelligence integration (since re-designated as the deputy director for mission integration)
federalregister.gov/documents/2013…

That person would have been Beth Sanner.
dni.gov/index.php/who-…

Next in line would be director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Trump’s first pick (by Tweet) was someone completely out of the line of succession (Ratcliffe).

He later changed his mind and said (also by tweet) that he would pick Maguire, who at the time was director of NCTC.
washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

So to recap, the line of succession should have been: Coats > Gordan > Sanner > Maguire

He made a skip in the line of succession, creating a grey area - his favorite way to operate.

More on succession here:
lawfareblog.com/who-will-be-ac…

The White House is planning to release the complaint tomorrow. They are reportedly also preparing a document making the case that the whistleblower is “political.” There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the complaint will be redacted.

vox.com/policy-and-pol…

Just take a moment and remember what they did with the Mueller report. They purposely withheld facts and information, and filled the void with spin. I do not trust anything the WH releases, including the memo of the call that was just released.

Trump, aside from his 10,000+ lies (or however many it is now), has a long and documented history of making sh*t up.
fortune.com/2016/05/18/don…

Why would now be any different?
washingtonpost.com/outlook/trump-…

Maguire is scheduled to testify before Congress tomorrow, and apparently threatened to quit if restrained from doing so. I hope that the information he plans to give them is the complaint itself, as required by law.
washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

The whistle blower has reached out to House and Senate Intelligence committees and wants to testify.
cnn.com/2019/09/24/pol…

politico.com/story/2019/09/…

As an aside: I hope the whistle blower is safe, and that the WH doesn’t leak their name. If they are preparing a smear campaign against this person, I expect that they will do exactly that.

And now it looks as though the DOJ (BARR) is implicated as well.
thehill.com/homenews/admin…

To recap:
Pelosi understands very well the role and position of DNI, and the rules around the position - she was there when the position was created.

the current DNI is there by way of not adhering to the line of succession, but seems intent on speaking with Congress

a good chunk of what we know right now has come from Trump

the IG feels that the complaint “relates to one of the most significant and important of the DNI’s responsibilities to the American people.”

One of the most significant responsibilities would be - one would assume - protecting all of us against threats.

We - or rather, Congress working on our behalf - need to know the details of the complaint. I hope that Maguire chooses to adhere to the law.

For a recap of events this year, including those that led up to whistle blower complaint:
sutori.com/story/wtf-is-h…

And I obviously can't keep up with all of the news today: THEY HAVE THE COMPLAINT!

https://twitter.com/NBCPolitics/status/1176954817710870528?s=20

AND:

https://twitter.com/RichFid2/status/1176971472407007232?s=20

AND!!!

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1176970134063407104?s=20

(I am definitely having a drink tonight)

AND (🤯)

https://twitter.com/VeraMBergen/status/1176973082688462850?s=20

AND:

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1176961237034393601?s=20

https://twitter.com/ThePlumLineGS/status/1176976645435076618?s=20