CORRUPTION
Whistleblower: Trump Used a Separate NSC Computer Server to Hide Transcript Detailing His Extortion Efforts
“Transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call was moved to a computer system managed by the National Security Council Directorate for Intelligence Programs”
President Donald Trump used a National Security Council computer server – “a separate electronic system” – to hide documents detailing his impeachable and possibly illegal efforts including extortion of a foreign nation, according to the just-released unclassified whistleblower complaint.
After the now infamous July 25 telephone call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, the whistleblower says they learned from multiple U.S. government officials that senior members of the Trump White House intervened to “lock down: all records of the phone call, especially the official word-for-word transcript of the call that was produced as is customary by the White House Situation Room.”
Those unusual efforts appeared to serve as a heads-up to the whistleblower.
“This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call,” as CNN reports.
“White House officials told me that they were ‘directed’ by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically stored for coordination, finalization, and distribution to Cabinet-level officials.”
CNN adds that the actual, word-for-word transcript of that July 25 call “was loaded into a separate electronic system that is otherwise used to store and handle classified information of any especially sensitive nature.”
This was “not the first time” the Trump White House acted to hide disturbing or possibly even criminal details of the president’s conversations with foreign leaders.
“The whistleblower describes how the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call was moved to a computer system managed by the National Security Council Directorate for Intelligence Programs, in a partially redacted appendix attached to his complaint,” CNN adds.
“According to White House officials I spoke with,” the whistleblower writes, “this was ‘not the first time’ under this Administration that a Presidential transcript was placed into this codeword-level system solely for the purpose of protecting politically sensitive–rather than national security sensitive–information.”
In that July 25 phone call it is clear President Trump attempted to extort the Ukraine president to dig up dirt against Joe Biden and his son, and withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in vital military aid as leverage.
Earlier, NCRM reported President Trump, according to the whistleblower complaint, asked Ukraine President Zelenskiy to locate the servers used by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2016 election cycle and discuss his findings with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and Attorney General Bill Barr.
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.