Dem Whistleblower Says Schiff OK’ed Classified Leaks To Hurt Trump
An intelligence officer who spent over a decade working for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee repeatedly alerted the FBI, starting in 2017, that then-Rep. Adam Schiff had authorized the leaking of classified information to damage then-President Donald Trump during the now-discredited Russiagate investigation, according to explosive FBI memos recently provided to Congress by Director Kash Patel.
FBI 302 interview reports obtained by Just the News reveal that the staffer — a registered Democrat who described himself as a friend to both Schiff, now a California senator, and former Republican House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes — viewed the leaks as “unethical,” “illegal,” and “treasonous.”
The staffer claimed he was told not to worry because Schiff believed the Constitution’s speech and debate clause would shield him from prosecution, Just the News first reported.
There is no publicly available opinion from the Attorney General or Solicitor General supporting such a determination as a matter of law.
However, officials told Just the News that when the allegations were first presented years ago, the Justice Department showed little interest in pursuing Schiff, echoing the same rationale the lawmaker himself had offered.
In his most recent interview with the FBI in 2023, the whistleblower — whose name remains redacted — told agents from the bureau’s St. Louis office that he had personally attended a meeting where Schiff authorized the release of classified information, the outlet said.
“When working in this capacity, [redacted staffer’s name] was called to an all-staff meeting by SCHIFF,” the interview report said. “In this meeting, SCHIFF stated the group would leak classified information which was derogatory to President of the United States DONALD J. TRUMP. SCHIFF stated the information would be used to indict President TRUMP.”
The whistleblower told investigators that he “stated this would be illegal and, upon hearing his concerns, unnamed members of the meeting reassured that they would not be caught leaking classified information,” the 2023 interview report stated, according to Just the News.
The staffer first made similar allegations to agents at the FBI’s Washington field office in 2017, shortly after the start of Trump’s first term. While the alleged leaks are now beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution under most legal theories, the disclosures surface at a politically sensitive moment for Schiff, who was recently referred to the Justice Department for potential prosecution in a separate mortgage fraud case first reported by Just the News.
Officials also noted that several DOJ personnel who declined to pursue numerous classified leak cases during the Russiagate controversy still hold influential positions — a detail that may draw the attention of congressional lawmakers.
“For years, certain officials used their positions to selectively leak classified information to shape political narratives,” Patel told Just the News on Monday. “It was all done with one purpose: to weaponize intelligence and law enforcement for political gain.
“Those abuses eroded public trust in our institutions,” he added. “The FBI will now lead the charge, with our partners at DOJ, and Congress will have the chance to uncover how political power may have been weaponized and to restore accountability.”
Schiff, who served as both ranking member and later chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) before moving to the Senate, spent years promoting unfounded allegations of Trump-Russia collusion and championing former British spy Christopher Steele’s discredited dossier — even reading several baseless claims from it into the congressional record in March 2017.
That same year, the whistleblower began bringing concerns to the FBI, Just the News reported.
According to the memos, the Democratic HPSCI staffer told agents in one meeting that retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn — Trump’s first national security adviser — was being singled out as part of a broader committee effort to target Trump.
The whistleblower also identified Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) as a likely source of classified leaks, the outlet reported.
Trump Warns Iran of ‘Total Obliteration’ if They Try To Harm Him HH
President Donald Trump warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up” and “total obliteration.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
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Biden-era Intelligence officials briefed Trump about the alleged threats against him during his presidential campaign in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plot was retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. in 2020, during Trump’s first administration.
Despite being briefed by his administration, Trump on Tuesday said President Biden “should have said something” on the matter, adding that presidents should defend each other on such matters.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump continued. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
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Trump also spoke about the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“What are you expecting from these Iran talks in Geneva?” a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One.
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“So, I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator; they’re good negotiators — or bad negotiators. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“Have you been told that a deal is next to impossible?” the reporter followed up.
Trump replied, “No. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
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Trump previously said that he instructed officials to destroy Iran if they killed him.
The president said this after signing an executive order right after taking office that gave him all the tools he needed to talk to Iran’s government and put as much pressure on Tehran as possible.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said at the time. “Not because of me — if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
Trump warned last week that the United States could send additional warships toward Iran if ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to produce a deal, signaling that military pressure could increase as talks over Tehran’s nuclear program stall.
In remarks to Axios, Trump said the administration is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and 9 additional warships already positioned near Iran, though he expressed hope that a diplomatic agreement can still be reached.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, a reference to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand,” Trump added. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The president emphasized that the United States is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, halt the development of its ballistic missile program, and end support for militant proxy groups. Iranian officials have so far resisted expanding negotiations beyond nuclear-related issues.
He described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but also insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, per Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, D.C. by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance and broader terms for any Iran deal that would include constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities and regional activities.
Before heading to DC, the Israeli leader previewed some of what he and Trump were going to discuss.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters, per the New York Post.
The administration has already bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with multiple warships and aircraft deployed as a means of deterrence and leverage.
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