House Intel member calls whistleblower complaint ‘deeply disturbing’

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that the whistleblower complaint concerning President Trump’s interactions with the leader of Ukraine is “deeply disturbing.”

The Illinois congressman made the comments shortly after the House Intelligence Committee reviewed documents from a whistleblower at the center of an escalating controversy within the Trump administration. 

Appearing on CNN, Quigley said that the complaint was the “political equivalent” of Trump saying during the 2016 campaign that he could “shoot somebody on the street and his base would stay with him.”

“I guess what I read to me was the political equivalent of that. Defying the Constitution, committing a criminal act and thinking I can get away with it,” he said. 

Quigley noted that the documents were still classified and he could not offer any specific details regarding their contents. But he added that the complaint was “extraordinarily detailed” and “very well done.”

Rep. Mike Quigley on the whistleblower complaint: “It is extraordinarily detailed and it is very, very well done. … It reinforces the concerns that what we previously learned and I think it is a blueprint for what we still need to know” pic.twitter.com/mrdgVKuupq

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 25, 2019

“It reinforces the concerns that what we previously learned, and I think it is a blueprint for what we still need to know. It lays out exactly what Congress needs to investigate,” Quigley said, later emphasizing the “courage” the whistleblower showed in addressing this situation. 

The complaint focuses at least in part on Trump’s conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump in a July 25 phone call pressured Zelensky to work with his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr to investigate 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and Biden’s son, according to a memo released by the White House earlier Wednesday. 

A source familiar with the complaint confirmed to The Hill that it concerns Trump’s conversations with Ukraine’s leader.

The request occurred around the same time that Trump delayed hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, raising speculation as to whether he use the aid as part of a quid pro quo. Trump has denied discussing military aid in his conversations with the Ukrainian leader. 

While the White House released a partial transcript of a late July phone call, acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has so far barred all of Congress from gaining access to the documents. He said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would handle the complaint “appropriately.” 

The House and Senate Intelligence committees have been in correspondence with the whistleblower’s attorney this week. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that the panel was in touch with the whistleblower’s counsel and that the figure was willing to meet with members.

The complaint has also been reviewed by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.).