The acting director of national intelligence is refusing to hand over a secret whistleblower complaint to the House intelligence committee, NBC News reports. Letters obtained by the network show Joseph Maguire has decided the complaint doesn’t meet the legal requirement for disclosure to Congress because he says it involves conduct by someone outside the spy agencies. However, the decision overrules the intelligence community’s independent watchdog, which believes the complaint should be handed over. The complaint has led to a bitter fight between the acting DNI and Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee. Schiff announced Friday that he had issued a subpoena for the complaint that he claimed was being illegally withheld to protect President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Schiff said Maguire has refused to comply with the subpoena.
