Did intel officials refer Trump to DOJ for possible criminal probe?
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/did-intel-officials-refer-trump-doj-possible-criminal-probe
Did intel officials refer Trump to DOJ for possible criminal probe?
09/25/19 12:57 PM
By Steve Benen
Theres no longer any doubt that Donald Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, seeking his foreign counterparts assistance in a political scheme. The memo distributed by the White House this morning helped bring the scandal into sharp focus.
What we didnt know, however, is how some officials from the U.S. intelligence community reacted to the Republicans rhetoric. The Washington Post reported this morning:
Those statements and others in a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were so concerning that the intelligence community inspector general thought them a possible violation of campaign finance law. In late August, intelligence officials referred the matter to the Justice Department as a possible crime, but prosecutors concluded last week that the conduct was not criminal, according to senior Justice Department officials.
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NBC News reported this morning on how the process played out from there:
According to DOJ officials, the criminal division including career employees concluded that there was no campaign finance violation. A DOJ official said the criminal division concluded last week that what Trump was asking for did not amount to a thing of value, as the law requires.
In conducting its analysis, DOJ asked the White House for the notes of the presidents conversation the so-called transcript and the White House voluntarily turned it over.
Ill leave it to legal experts to speak to whether the Justice Departments call was the appropriate one.
Given the fact that the department is led by Attorney General Bill Barr, the administration probably shouldnt be too surprised if theres some skepticism about whether a complaint against Trump was handled properly.
But either way, the fact that the matter was referred to the DOJ for possible criminal scrutiny is a striking new detail.