Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is in the hotseat on Capitol Hill. Opening a House hearing, California Democrat Adam Schiff said President Trump has betrayed his oath of office. Schiff accused Trump of sacrificing U.S. national security for his own benefit. Schiff chairs the Intelligence Committee. California Republican Devin Nunes called it an extension of the Democratic "Russia collusion hoax." During a phone call in July, Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate former VP Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Biden is the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes. Schiff said Trump wanted to get dirt on a political opponent and argued that the call resembled a criminal "shakedown." Lawmakers are pressing Maguire about the delayed submission of an inspector general's report to Congress, which is required by law. The White House temporarily blocked release of the report. The report was prompted by a whistleblower complaint involving Trump's July phone call. Congressman Nunes cast doubts on the whistleblower's claims, accusing Democrats of using it as a political weapon to attack the President. He called it "hysteria."
Photo: Getty Images