00:02Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is asking the Justice Department to consider
00:07criminal charges over the whistleblower complaint that helped trigger President Trump's first
00:12impeachment. Gabbard has sent two criminal referrals, one targeting the whistleblower,
00:17the other former Inspector General Michael Atkinson. Her office accuses Atkinson of
00:23misusing the whistleblower process after a 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian
00:28President Volodymyr Zelensky. That call became the foundation for House Democrats to impeach
00:34Trump. The whistleblower flagged the call as an urgent concern, alleging Trump pressed
00:40Zelensky to investigate political rival Joe Biden. Gabbard claims the complaint relied on
00:46secondhand information and what she says were concocted narratives from deep state actors to
00:52push it to Congress. The whistleblower's identity has never been made public. The Justice Department
00:58will now decide whether to pursue charges. Atkinson, who was fired by Trump in 2020,
01:03has said he acted properly and followed the law. Gabbard, however, argues he put politics ahead of facts.
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