Schiff Confirms Whistleblower Spoke To Aides Prior To Filing Complaint; Trump Calls Inquiry A 'Hoax'
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'They Should Look At Him For Treason':
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A whistleblower who raised concerns about President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine spoke to staffers on the House Intelligence Committee before filing the formal complaint
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By MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A whistleblower who raised concerns about President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine spoke to staffers on the House Intelligence Committee before filing the formal complaint.
That's according to a spokesman for the committee's chairman, California Rep. Adam Schiff.
Spokesman Patrick Boland said the whistleblower contacted the committee for guidance on how to report "possible wrongdoing,"
Boland issued the statement after The New York Times first reported the interaction.
He said that "at no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance" and that it is a regular occurrence for whistleblowers to seek guidance from the committee.
Trump seized on the interaction to criticize Schiff, who has a leading role in the Democratic impeachment investigation. Schiff said his office acted appropriately.
Shot List:
1. Trump Sot: "Well, I always cooperate. This is a hoax. This is just continuation of what's been playing out, John, for the last - since my election I would say. Probably -- we'll find out soon but probably even before my election. This is a fraudulent crime on the American people but we will work together with shifty Schiff and Pelosi and all of them and we'll see what happens because we did absolutely -- I had a great call with the president of Ukraine. It was 100%. You have the transcript, and then Schiff when up and, as the chairman of the committee, he got up and related a call that didn't take place. He made up the language. Hard to believe. Nobody's ever seen this. I think he had some kind of a mental breakdown."
