Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Unnamed Whistleblower Complained That Trump Made an Inappropriate Promise to a World Leader, and Trump's Intel Chief Is Covering it Up

Unnamed Whistleblower Complained That Trump Made an Inappropriate Promise to a World Leader, and Trump's Intel Chief Is Covering it Up
US President Donald Trump speaks during a "Make America Great Again" rally at Aaron Bessant Amphitheater in Panama City Beach, Florida on May 8, 2019. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

So, this is terrifying.

A mysterious whistleblower complaint relating to President Donald Trump's interactions with an unnamed foreign leader is setting the stage for heightened discord between Congress and White House intelligence officials.

According to Washington Post reporters Greg Miller, Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris, the complaint—filed August 12—involves a "promise" from Trump to another world leader that the whistleblower found concerning.


House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) is pressuring intelligence officials for more information after Acting National Intelligence Director Joseph Maguire refused to provide Congress with additional information.

Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who deemed the complaint urgent enough to inform lawmakers, testified before the House Intelligence Committee in a closed door hearing on Thursday morning.

Little is known of the complaint's actual contents, but the President has interacted with numerous world leaders in the months ahead of the complaint's filing, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Also notably, Former Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats—whom Maguire replaced—left the administration at the end of July. Trump was expected to replace Coats on an acting basis with Coats's immediate subordinate, intelligence expert Sue Gordon, whose career is respected on both sides of the aisle. Trump bypassed Gordon for Acting Director Maguire, who continues to stonewall lawmakers regarding information on the complaint.

Obstructing information is nothing new for the Trump administration, which has repeatedly ignored subpoenas, limited testimony, and lied to the public.

But something about this complaint and the mystery surrounding it seems particularly ominous.

One Republican, Ohio Congressman Mike Turner, had one thing to say when leaving the Inspector General's closed door testimony this morning: "No comment."

------

Listen to the first four episodes of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!' where we explore the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.

Be sure to subscribe here and never miss an episode.

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less