The newly declassified Durham annex released by CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed last month that the intelligence community was aware in 2016 of an alleged Clinton campaign plan to smear Trump, falsely link him to Russia, then have the deep state carry the ball down the field.
The newly declassified House Intelligence Committee majority staff report released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revealed that the consequential January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment appeared to be a work of fiction drawn up by the Obama administration that served to give the Clinton campaign’s narrative a patina of legitimacy and set the stage for years of attacks and two congressional impeachments.
While these documents made clear that the intelligence community and the liberal media played critical roles in the hoax, newly released FBI memos highlight they had a helping hand from Congress.
‘SCHIFF stated the information would be used to Indict President Trump.’
FBI 302 interview reports provided to Congress by FBI Director Kash Patel and obtained by Just the News detail allegations that beginning in 2017, then-Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) approved leaking classified information to undermine President Donald Trump and push the Russia hoax.
The whistleblower — a Democratic career intelligence officer who worked for the Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for over a decade and considered Schiff a friend — raised concerns about the Democratic lawmaker’s actions as early as 2017.
While working with the committee, the whistleblower attended a February 2017 meeting where 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,” said the FBI interview report.
RELATED: Durham annex proves Russiagate was a coordinated smear
“[Redacted] stated this would be illegal and, upon hearing his concerns, unnamed members of the meeting reassured [redacted] that they would not be caught leaking classified information,” continued the document.
The whistleblower alleged that this was “not a one-time thing” but “rampant” and that damaging notes would be floated to Schiff “after which a decision was made as to who would leak the information,” said an FBI memo.
‘SWALWELL previously had been warned to be careful because he had a reputation for leaking classified information.’
When the information was leaked to the media, it was apparently flagged “on background,” meaning that the information would be published without a reference to the source. The interview report singles out NBC News as one of the outlets in contact with the committee offices.
There was one particular leak that struck the whistleblower as particularly egregious. He told the FBI that in early 2017, “a particularly sensitive document” was viewed by a small contingent of staff along with Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).
“Within 24 hours, the information appeared in the news almost verbatim and [redacted] officials descended upon HPSCI’s offices, threatening to stop providing information unless the leaking ended,” said the report. “[Redacted] suspected that SWALWELL played a role in the leak and noted that SWALWELL previously had been warned to be careful because he had a reputation for leaking classified information.”
RELATED: Liberal media is dead silent about the damning revelations in the declassified Durham annex
The whistleblower suggested that this alleged leaking operation was energized by Schiff’s fury over Trump’s win “as he believed he would have been appointed as Director of CIA had HILLARY CLINTON won the election,” said the interview report.
Schiff was allegedly desperate to push the “Russian involvement” narrative into something akin to the 9/11 Commission, and the purpose of the classified information leaks was apparently to “compel public opinion.”
Schiff — who also pushed bogus claims from the Steele dossier in Congress around the time of this alleged leak campaign — was long suspected of leaking classified information.
Ex-CIA Director Mike Pompeo publicly accused Schiff in 2023 of doing so, noting that when information was provided to the then-Democratic congressman and his staff, that information found its way into places where it did not belong “with alarming regularity.”
After determining that this activity was “unethical and treasonous,” the whistleblower reportedly went to the FBI to raise his concerns.
Despite the bureau briefly humoring his concerns, the whistleblower was ultimately informed that “the issue would not be investigated further by the DOJ, as Congressmen have immunity to all speech and actions made on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Under new leadership, the Justice Department may take greater interest even though the alleged leaks likely fall outside the statute of limitations for prosecution.
“We found it. We declassified it,” Patel noted on X with regards to the FBI interview memos. “Now Congress can see how classified info was leaked to shape political narratives — and decide if our institutions were weaponized against the American people.”
“For years, certain officials used their positions to selectively leak classified information to shape political narratives,” Patel told Just the News. “It was all done with one purpose: to weaponize intelligence and law enforcement for political gain.”
“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,” added Patel.
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