Trump taps Clinton, Obama precedent on whistleblower executive privilege

A top House Democrat accused the administration Thursday of stonewalling a probe into a national security whistleblower’s complaint against President Trump by raising executive privilege, but Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also insisted on the right to privilege in such cases.

Emerging from a three-hour, closed-door briefing with an inspector general, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the Justice Department is shielding the White House by barring disclosure of details about the whistleblower’s complaint.

“This shows someone is trying to manipulate the system to keep information about an urgent matter from the Congress,” Mr. Schiff told reporters. “There is no privilege that covers whether the White House is involved and trying to stifle a whistleblower complaint. There’s no privilege to be corrupt.”

Mr. Schiff is demanding that the administration turn over the complaint, which reportedly says the president made an unspecified “promise” to an unspecified foreign head of state during a phone conversation sometime this summer. Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson deemed the complaint credible and of “urgent concern,” turning heads on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Trump on Thursday rejected accusations that he made an inappropriate promise to a foreign leader. He said he wouldn’t be “dumb enough” to take such action while other officials were monitoring his phone conversations.

More