This is the Tom Hartman program.

I just want to let you know we're going to be carrying the hearings live with

Chairman Adam Schiff. I will be breaking in when they are done and we will be

talking about it so here it is.

You have adopted an interpretation by the Justice Department that essentially

says the president is above the director, therefore the president is not subject to the

jurisdiction of the director, therefore it doesn't meet the

definition of the director, therefore it doesn't meet the definition of

urgent concern.

Therefore, the Inspector General is done.

Inspector General can't investigate anymore.

That's the Inspector General's reading of the department opinion that he is no longer

allowed to investigate this.

Is that your reading as well?

Chairman, not necessarily the President, but the allegation has to relate to the funding, administration,

or operation of an intelligence activity with the responsibility and the authority of the director of national intelligence.

Okay well I'm just trying to get to whether the president is somehow beyond the reach of the law.

No sir no no person in this country is beyond the region.

Well, that's the way it should be, but I'm trying to figure out whether that's the way it is as a practical

fact.

The Inspector General believes that based on the opinion that you requested of the Department of Justice, he is no longer allowed

to look into this because it doesn't meet the definition of an urgent concern because it

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