Press Releases

 U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Chairman Adam Schiff seeking answers on what he is doing to prevent further leaks of classified information out of the committee.

Johnson sent the letter in response to a Feb. 20 New York Times article detailing classified information from a HPSCI briefing on Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election:

“The candidate-specific subject matter reported by The New York Times, coupled with additional reports that same day of Russian influence favoring Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary, is enough to raise serious concerns surrounding the possibility of selective leaking of information by your committee or an adjacent source.

“As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the principal committee in Congress tasked with oversight of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), I believe it is essential that the Congress take seriously the protection of classified information to avoid any and all unauthorized leaks to the media.

In the letter, Johnson also notes that Schiff raised similar concerns when he believed information was being leaked out of the House Select Committee on Benghazi in an effort to harm then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 bid for the presidency:

“…in 2015, you raised alarm when the House Select Committee on Benghazi was apparently leaking information that was perceived to harm former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In an appearance at that time on Meet the Press, you stated: ‘The way this committee has operated is by leak of damaging information with only one objective. And that is, all the leaks have a common denominator. All of the leaks are designed to hurt Secretary Clinton.’”

A PDF of the signed letter can be viewed here. The full text of the letter can be viewed below.

***

February 27, 2020
 

The Hon. Adam B. Schiff
Chairman
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
HVC-304, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:
 

I am writing to you today to express concern over reports that the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) has leaked classified information pertaining to the integrity of our federal elections.

On February 20, The New York Times reported that HPSCI received a classified briefing on Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election. As you know, both the occasion and the content of these meetings are highly sensitive and are thus designed to remain secret. This protocol is important to safeguard classified information, and to prevent alerting foreign adversaries about the focus of our own defensive priorities to counter foreign election influence.

The candidate-specific subject matter reported by The New York Times,[1] coupled with additional reports the next day of Russian influence favoring Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary,[2] are enough to raise serious concerns surrounding the possibility of selective leaking of information by your committee or an adjacent source.

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the principal committee in Congress tasked with oversight of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), I believe it is essential that the Congress take seriously the protection of classified information to avoid any and all unauthorized leaks to the media.

Based upon the newspaper reports last week, can you please answer the following questions:

1. What steps, if any, have you or your staff taken to investigate the sources of theleaks pertaining g to the classified briefing on Russian interference in the 2020presidential election?
    
2. Has a plan been formulated to more closely protect classified or sensitiveinformation shared with your committee, particularly information related to the2020 election cycle?
    
3. Has your committee pursued an investigation of these leaks in conjunction withentities such as the DOJ or FBI, which are typically called upon when classifiedinformation of this kind makes it into the public domain?

I believe these questions and my concerns are appropriate and are in fact consistent with your own public statements in recent years. For example, in 2015, you raised alarm whenthe House Select Committee on Benghazi was apparently leaking information that wasperceived to harm former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In an appearance at that timeon Meet the Press, you stated: “The way this committee has operated is by leak of damaging information with only one objective. And that is, all the leaks have a common denominator.All of the leaks are designed to hurt Secretary Clinton.”[3]

Congress has an obligation to address these issues directly to ensure that all classified information is handled and protected appropriately, and that the integrity of our elections and institutions are maintained.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.
 

Sincerely,



____________________

Mike Johnson

Member of Congress

CC: The Hon. Devin Nunes, Ranking Member, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence