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I want to stress that I believe that the whistleblower and the inspector general have acted in good faith throughout. I have every reason to believe that they have done everything by the book and followed the law, respecting the privileged nature of the information, and patiently waiting while the executive privilege issues were resolved. Wherever possible, we have worked in partnership with the inspector general on this matter.
While we have differing of opinions on the issue of whether or not it is urgent concern, I strongly believe in the role of the inspector general. Second, although executive privilege prevented us from sharing the details of the complaint with the committees until recently, this does not mean that the complaint was ignored. The inspector general, in consultation with my office, referred this matter to the Department of Justice for investigation.
Finally, I appreciate that in the past, whistleblower complaints may have been provided to the Congress, regardless of whether they were deemed credible or satisfied the urgent concern requirement. However, I am not familiar with any prior instances where a whistleblower complaint touched on such complicated and sensitive issues, including executive privilege. I believe that this matter is unprecedented. I also believe that I handled this matter in full compliance with the law at all times.
