Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), then the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, authorized leaks of classified information to tarnish President Trump’s image during the Russiagate probe — having assumed he would lead the CIA in a Hillary Clinton administration, according to newly released whistleblower statements.
The unidentified male source, who worked as a Democratic staffer on the House Intelligence Committee for 12 years after more than two decades in the intelligence community, told FBI agents in December 2017 that the mood among the panel became “indescribable” after Trump’s upset win the year before.
“Ranking member [Schiff] was particularly upset, as he had believed he would have been appointed as the director of the CIA had candidate [Hillary Clinton] won the election,” according to a summary of the interview obtained by The Post.
In September 2017, the same whistleblower told investigators that he had heard from congressional staff colleagues around October 2016 that Schiff would be offered the CIA job if Clinton had won.
After Trump was sworn in as the 45th president, the September 2017 interview summary reads: “Schiff believed Russia hijacked the election and the United States was in the middle of a constitutional crisis. Classified information began leaking to the media. The Democratic minority leadership of [the Intelligence Committee] was aware of the leaks but was under the impression that leaking the information was one way to topple the administration and fix the constitutional crisis.”
During an FBI interview in June 2023, the whistleblower recalled being part of an all-staff meeting called by now-Sen. Schiff (D-Calif.), at which the Democrat “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 said he objected to Schiff’s idea, a summary of that interview reveals, only to be told by other participants that “they would not be caught leaking classified information.”
Sometime later, the whistleblower said he was approached again about leaking against Trump and responded that he “believed this activity to be unethical and treasonous.”
The whistleblower later reached out to the FBI and was even invited to attend a mock grand jury hearing, only to later be told that the Justice Department would not investigate further.
Investigators believed Schiff, now 65, was protected by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, which bars the apprehension of legislators for their professional activities except in the event of “Felony, Treason and Breach of the Peace.”
The whistleblower claimed during his June 2023 interview that he “did not believe” Schiff’s actions were covered by the Speech or Debate Clause.
The whistleblower’s claims were first reported by Just the News, with FBI Director Kash Patel confirming on X Monday night: “We found it. We declassified it. Now Congress can see how classified info was leaked to shape political narratives – and decide if our institutions were weaponized against the American people.”
Patel previously worked as a top aide to former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and authored a memo accusing FBI officials of abusing their power during the Trump-Russia investigation, which proceeded under the code name Crossfire Hurricane.
The whistleblower was described as “friends with both Schiff and Nunes” and someone who “worked with senior political leaders from both major political parties.”
However, an October 2017 FBI memo claimed that word was spreading among committee staff that the whistleblower had been fired for a “perceived lack of party loyalty.” When a Republican staffer went to offer condolences, the memo relates, the whistleblower told them they had lost their job because “there was an expectation of leaking and he refused to participate.”
Over drinks that evening, the whistleblower claimed that Democrats on the Intelligence Committee had established a “system” for leaking in which sensitive information would be given to Schiff, “after which a decision was made as to who would leak the information.”
One prominent oversharer, according to the whistleblower, was Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), another committee member.
In the December 2017 FBI interview, the whistleblower recounted how a “particularly sensitive document” was seen by a small group of lawmakers and staff, including Schiff and Swalwell, but leaked out “almost verbatim” within a day. The whistleblower allegedly claimed to have “been warned to be careful because he [Swalwell] had a reputation for leaking classified information.”
Swalwell later fired back at Patel when asked by The Post about the report.
“Come get me Kash,” Swalwell chided. “This Trump stooge foreshadowed this type of bullshit when he put me at the top of his enemies list in his book. Kash thinks he can silence me. He won’t. As long as this is a free country, I will freely speak out against Trump’s corruption.”
Schiff, who spearheaded the first impeachment of Trump in 2019, had long been suspected by Republicans of leaking classified information during the Russiagate saga. He also infamously read key portions of the since-debunked Steele dossier into the Congressional Record in 2017.
In 2023, House Republicans voted to censure Schiff for his role in Russiagate, only for him to be elected to the Senate the following year.
Last week, The Post reported that a grand jury has been convened in Maryland to investigate whether Schiff “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms.”
The California senator is accused of mortgage fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions for certifying a Maryland property as his primary residence while also claiming a California condominium as his main home for tax and mortgage purposes.
The FBI earlier this month initiated an investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI Director James Comey for any potential criminal actions taken as part of the Trump-Russia probe.
The Justice Department also launched a “strike force” last month after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a long-anticipated, 44-page report from the House Intelligence Committee that found “egregious” errors committed by Brennan in the compiling of an assessment that claimed Moscow preferred Trump to defeat Clinton.
