A whistleblower has told the FBI that former Congressman Adam Schiff gave the green light to leaking classified information in an effort to damage Donald Trump during the so-called Russia collusion investigation. According to interviews reviewed by multiple news outlets, Schiff’s staff met behind closed doors and planned to use secret intelligence to spark media headlines and fuel criminal investigations against the former president.
The whistleblower, who worked on the House Intelligence Committee for more than ten years, came forward in two separate interviews with the FBI—one in December 2017 and another in June 2023. In both meetings, he detailed how Schiff instructed staff to leak damaging material related to Trump under the assumption they wouldn’t be held accountable.
In that December 2017 meeting, Schiff allegedly told his staff that they could leak information without facing consequences. The whistleblower described the comments as “unethical” and said he warned others that it could be “possibly treasonous.” But the plan moved forward anyway.
The whistleblower also said that Schiff believed he would be appointed CIA director if Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election. According to the testimony, this belief may have added to his motivation to go after Trump following Clinton’s unexpected defeat.
The New York Post reported that Schiff viewed the situation as a “constitutional crisis” and used that as justification for leaking classified intelligence. He allegedly believed it was the committee’s duty to act against Trump—even if it meant violating protocols.
Fox News confirmed that Schiff held an all-staff meeting where he outlined how the committee would selectively release information to create pressure for indictments against Trump’s inner circle. The goal, the whistleblower said, was to damage Trump politically and personally.
The testimony suggests that the leaks were part of a deliberate campaign, not a series of unrelated disclosures. Schiff, who was the leading voice pushing the Russia narrative, had denied for years that he ever misused classified materials.
So far, Schiff has not responded to these new allegations. His office has gone silent, and Democrats have refused to comment.
House Republicans are calling for immediate hearings. Oversight Chair James Comer said subpoenas are already being drafted. “If this is true, it’s one of the most blatant abuses of power we’ve ever seen,” Comer said.
Republicans also want to know why the FBI sat on this information for so long. Despite receiving the whistleblower’s first report in 2017, the Bureau did not act on it until pressure mounted in 2023.
Critics say the delay points to a two-tiered justice system where Democrats are protected and conservatives are punished. “Anyone else would be in handcuffs,” said one former federal agent.
Judicial Watch and other conservative watchdogs are now demanding the full release of the FBI interview notes. They also want to see Schiff’s communications with media outlets and other lawmakers during the time leaks were happening.
This scandal is just the latest chapter in the long-running controversy over how the Russia investigation was used to damage Trump from the inside. Schiff was at the center of that effort for years.
Trump’s supporters have reacted strongly. “It confirms what we knew all along,” said a former Trump campaign official. “It was a setup from the beginning.”
Some Republican lawmakers are calling for Schiff to be criminally investigated. They say leaking classified intelligence to manipulate public opinion is not just unethical—it’s illegal.
Schiff’s defenders have tried to downplay the new information, but the testimony is detailed and consistent across two interviews years apart. That fact alone has Republicans demanding answers.
So far, the Department of Justice under Joe Biden has not said whether it will pursue an investigation into Schiff’s actions.
Conservative commentators argue that nothing will happen unless Republicans take aggressive action. “We’ve seen this movie before,” said one Fox News analyst. “If Congress doesn’t act, Schiff walks away again.”
