CONGRESS/DEMS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UKRAINE/WHISTLEBLOWER: “The U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman on Thursday [9-19-19] accused the Justice Department of blocking intelligence officials from giving Congress a whistleblower complaint reported to involve communications between President Donald Trump and a foreign leader. The Washington Post, which first reported the matter, said the country involved was Ukraine, citing unnamed sources.The House panel’s Democratic chairman, Adam Schiff, charged the Trump administration with blocking a congressional inquiry after receiving a closed-door briefing from the inspector general for U.S. spy agencies. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the whistleblower complaint at the center of the dispute alleged ‘multiple acts’ by Trump, not just a phone call with a foreign leader. The source requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Trump on Thursday called the Washington Post report ‘Fake News.’”
–Mark Hosenball, Jonathan Landay, “Lawmaker accuses Justice Department of blocking whistleblower disclosure,” Reuters, September 19, 2019 8:05 am