The skeletons in US Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) closet are coming out in full force to protest his recently-announced bid for the US Senate.
“Adam Schiff lied to the American people, and during my time as CIA director and secretary of state, I know that he leaked classified information that had been provided to him,” argued Mike Pompeo, the only person to have ever served as both CIA director and secretary of state.
“It’s difficult to pin down precisely what happened…But I could tell you that when we provided information to him and to his staff, it ended up in places it shouldn’t have been with alarming regularity. We could see it. In the end, I decided I held back information from them as a result,” admitted Pompeo.
Schiff served as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2019 until this year, when his nomination to continue serving on the panel was rejected by by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as a sole criterion for membership on this essential committee,” said McCarthy, adding that the “misuse” of the committee “during the 116th and 117th Congresses severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions – ultimately leaving our nation less safe.”
The House Intelligence Committee is uniquely important in that it is tasked with oversight of the US Intelligence Community. Though it shares some jurisdiction with other House committees, it is privy to information that other lawmakers can’t see and that the press can’t verify. There is no reason why an individual like Schiff should be trusted with this responsibility.
“I watched the House Intelligence Committee under the leadership of Adam Schiff,” said Pompeo. “I watched him denigrate and lower its ability to actually perform its function. When he was out talking about the Russia hoax, going on to say that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation, knowing that it almost certainly was not.”
Schiff has a reputation as one of the most vocal proponents of the Russia collusion hoax and has repeatedly been accused of lying to the public. As I wrote last month, his efforts in 2018 to stymie the release of a memo written by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) likely kept the Russia collusion narrative going for far longer than it otherwise may have.
In February 2020, shortly after Schiff had served as the lead manager in the first impeachment of Donald Trump, Trump accused Schiff of leaking sensitive information to the press in order to harm the reputation of then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
“I read where Russia is helping Bernie Sanders,” said Trump. “Nobody said it to me at all. Nobody briefed me about that at all…They leaked it, Adam Schiff and his group. They leaked it to the papers and – as usual – they ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information.”
As expected, Schiff’s team has portrayed all of the criticisms against him as defamation.
“While we understand that Adam Schiff is a favorite target for the failed lackeys of the Trump administration running for president, reputable news outlets shouldn’t repeat these falsehoods,” said Schiff spokesperson Lauren French.
Sources:
Adam Schiff Accused of Leaking Classified Information
Pompeo accuses Schiff of leaking classified information
Mike Pompeo accuses Adam Schiff of leaking classified information during time on House Intel panel