ODNI Targets Whistleblower, Atkinson in Impeachment Probe

0:00It's April 16. From your city to your ears, this is Tampa Bay News. Today, powered by AI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence just sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department targeting the whistleblower behind the 2019 Trump impeachment push and the former intelligence community inspector general, Michael Ackinson. This stems from their handling of the complaint about Trump's call with Ukraine's Zelensky. Earlier this week, Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, dropped declassified docs showing what she calls a coordinated plot inside the intel community to spin a fake story and fuel the impeachment. Those files tie back to closed-door briefings with House Intel back in 2019. Folks are buzzing because this reigns the whole saga. Trump asking Zelensky to probe Hunter Biden's Ukraine ties while aid was on hold, which dims. Labeled a quid pro quo, Republicans long argued Ackinson ignored the whistleblower's clear political bias toward a rival candidate and overstep

1:02by calling it an urgent concern. New details reveal Ackinson skipped basic checks and pushed the complaint forward, despite secondhand info from officials. House Republicans tried referring them to the DOJ years ago, but now ODNI is making it official with fresh evidence from those with held transcripts. As the Justice Department reviews these referrals, it could rewrite the narrative on that impeachment chapter, shining light on intel overreach that. Shook the nation, stay tuned for what comes next.