Office of Legal Counsel: Difference between revisions

In September 2019, Engel authored an OLC opinion<ref>{{cite web |title='Urgent Concern' Determination by the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community |url=https://www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/file/1205711/download |date=September 3, 2019 |website=justice.gov |access-date=October 26, 2019 }}</ref> that the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] should not forward the [[Trump–Ukraine scandal]] whistleblower complaint to Congress.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf |title=Declassified whistleblower complaint |orig-date=August 12, 2019 |date=September 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926123931/https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2019 }}</ref> In an October 2019 letter, 67 inspectors general from the [[Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency]] sharply criticized the Justice Department's decision to withhold the complaint from Congress, describing the memo as having a "chilling effect on effective oversight" and being "wrong as a matter of law and policy." The inspectors general recommended the OLC memo be withdrawn or amended because it "effectively overruled the determination by the ICIG regarding an 'urgent concern' complaint" that the ICIG concluded was "credible and therefore needed to be transmitted to Congress."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/25/politics/inspectors-general-olc-letter-whistleblower-opinion/index.html |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Coalition of Inspectors General slam DOJ opinion on whistleblower complaint |first1=Zachary |last1=Cohen |first2=David |last2=Shortell |work=CNN |access-date=October 26, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-watchdog-council-says-justice-erred-in-blocking-whistleblower-complaint-11572018755 |title=U.S. Watchdog Council Says Justice Department Erred in Blocking Whistleblower Complaint |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=October 25, 2019 |first=Dustin |last=Volz |access-date=October 26, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ignet.gov/sites/default/files/files/CIGIE_Letter_to_OLC_Whistleblower_Disclosure.pdf |title=Letter to Steven A. Engel |website=ignet.gov |date=October 22, 2019 |author=Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency |access-date=October 26, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/ig-handling-fisa-probe-others-blast-olc-for-concluding-whistleblower-complaint-wasnt-urgent-concern/ |title=IG Handling FISA Probe, Others Blast OLC for Concluding Whistleblower Complaint Wasn't 'Urgent Concern' |website=[[lawandcrime.com]] |first=Matt |last=Naham |date=October 25, 2019 |access-date=October 26, 2019 }}</ref>