To the Editor:

In tandem, a whistle-blower and an inspector general have single-handedly accomplished what a special counsel, millions of dollars, countless interviews, prosecutions and court decisions have been unable to achieve. They have brought a degree of clarity to longstanding suspicions concerning the integrity of our government.

Elected officials are failing in their duty to perform checks and balances. Inspectors general, in a new role, are stepping in to address this failure. Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community’s inspector general , deserves credit for the way he fought to get the whistle-blower complaint to Congress.

The process, however, has not been flawless. The information provided by the whistle-blower was determined to be urgent and reliable. The decision by the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, to seek White House clarification on executive privilege at the expense of a critical whistle-blower alert defies logic and causes one to question our national security priorities.

Likewise, soliciting an opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel is like asking a soldier under fire to wait while the generals finish lunch.