Former House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff has been accused of leaking highly classified information so frequently that a former CIA director claims he was forced to limit how much information he gave to him and his staff.
According to Conservative Brief, Mike Pompeo, who served in that post for a year before then-President Donald Trump named him secretary of state, made the accusation in an interview on Wednesday. “During my time as CIA director and secretary of state, I know that he leaked classified information that had been provided to him,” Pompeo, who is rumored to be considering a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said.
No doubt due to the nature of such information, Pompeo did not go into details about the suspected leaks. However, he did say that the issue got so bad he had to restrict what he could share with members of Congress. “Outnumbered” co-host Emily Compagno, after emphasizing what a huge problem that is, asked Pompeo why there hadn’t been any accountability if leaking that kind of information is “a felony at a minimum, up to treason.”
This is not the first time that Schiff’s actions have been called into question. During his time as chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Schiff’s behavior “almost ruined that committee,” according to Pompeo. He added that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) “got it exactly right” by removing his Democratic colleague from it.
Besides booting Schiff, McCarthy removed another member from the committee as well, Rep. Eric Swalwell, also a California Democrat, over a previous relationship with a suspected Chinese spy believed to be sexual in nature. The suspected spy, named Fang Fang, assisted with Swalwell’s 2014 campaign; the relationship was not revealed until 2020, however.
McCarthy explained that he had received a briefing from the FBI about the relationship that led him to believe Swalwell is too compromised to be on the committee and be exposed to highly sensitive information.
“I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as a sole criteria for membership on this essential committee. Integrity matters more,” McCarthy wrote in a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
“It is my assessment that the misuse of this panel during the 116th and 117th Congress severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions ultimately leaving our nation less safe,” he added. “Therefore, as we enter a new Congress, I am committed to returning the Intelligence Committee to one of genuine honesty and credibility that retains the trust of the American people.”
The allegations of leaks and compromised individuals on the Intelligence Committee are deeply concerning and must be taken seriously.
It is essential that those who hold positions of power and access to classified information are held accountable for their actions and that the integrity of the committee is restored. It is time for a change, and for the protection of our national security, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell should not be allowed to serve on the Intelligence Committee.
