DNI Maguire Won’t Say If He Discussed Whistleblower Complaint With Trump

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 26: Joseph Maguire, acting director of national intelligence, prepares to testify during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on a whistleblower complaint about a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, September 26, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire prepares to testify during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on a whistleblower complaint about a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian Presid... Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire prepares to testify during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on a whistleblower complaint about a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 26, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire refused to tell the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday whether he’d discussed an explosive whistleblower complaint with President Donald Trump.

During Maguire’s hearing, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) asked the acting DNI if he’d spoken to Trump about the whistleblower complaint, which details both Trump’s attempts to get foreign government to interfere with the 2020 elections and the ways in which the White House lawyers attempted to bury information about the infamous call with the president of Ukraine.

“My conversations with the President, because I am the director of national intelligence, are privileged and it would be inappropriate for me, because it would destroy my relationship with the President in intelligence matters, to divulge any of my conversations with the President of the United States,” Maguire said.

“But just so we can be clear for the record, you are not denying that you spoke to the President about this complaint?” Himes asked.

“What I’m saying, congressman, is that I will not divulge privileged conversations that I have as the director of national intelligence with the President,” Maguire responded.

The acting DNI denied that the White House had asked him to assert executive privilege.

Watch Maguire below:

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