DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/INTELLIGENCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UKRAINE/WHISTLEBLOWER: “The Democratic head of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, learned about the outlines of a C.I.A. officer’s concerns that President Trump had abused his power days before the officer filed a whistle-blower complaint, according to a spokesman and current and former American officials. The early account by the future whistle-blower shows how determined he was to make known his allegations that Mr. Trump asked Ukraine’s government to interfere on his behalf in the 2020 election. It also explains how Mr. Schiff knew to press for the complaint when the Trump administration initially blocked lawmakers from seeing it. The C.I.A. officer approached a House Intelligence Committee aide with his concerns about Mr. Trump only after he had had a colleague first convey them to the C.I.A.’s top lawyer.”
–Julian E. Barnes, Michael S. Schmidt and Matthew Rosenberg, “Schiff Got Early Account of Accusations as Whistle-Blower’s Concerns Grew,” The New York Times online, October 2, 2019