McCord told CNN that she believes Atkinson feels strongly that the complaint needs to be reported to Congress but is also trying to respect the hierarchy in place, which includes the DNI.
During a closed-door briefing with Schiff's committee on Thursday, Atkinson would only discuss the process for his handling of the whistleblower's concerns, the chairman said. Though lawmakers pressed him for details on the complaint, their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
The inspector general does not have the authority to discuss the details of the complaint with Congress because the DNI has not shared the actual report with the committee and had apparently not otherwise authorized Atkinson to share those details.
Although the official details of the complaint have not been provided to members of Congress, Atkinson told the panel during the briefing that it raised concerns about multiple actions but would not say if those instances involved Trump, according to sources familiar with the briefing.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/23/politics/ic-ig-michael-atkinson-whistleblower-complaint/index.html
He went to Congress without DNI approval. He went outside the chain of command.