House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has been accused of “regularly” leaking classified intelligence during a Twitter exchange with the former acting director of national intelligence.
Richard Grenell tweeted a list of “facts” about the California Democrat in reply to a video of Schiff calling Grenell a poor leader.
“Schiff & team regularly leaked classified information,” the former Trump administration official tweeted.
“Schiff wouldn’t return my call to coordinate on DNI reforms.”
Grenell added that the DNI reforms had been asked for by career officials for years.Schiff also complained when Lora Shiao was appointed as the first female head of counterterrorism, Grenell said.
Facts:
-Schiff wouldn’t return my call to coordinate on DNI reforms.
-the reforms were asked for by career officials for years.
-Schiff complained when I appointed the 1st female head of counterterrorism (a career person).
-Schiff & team regularly leaked classified information. https://t.co/FQgQzLga95— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 22, 2021
Last year, then-President Donald Trump accused Schiff of leaking information that Russia sought to interfere with the Democratic primary, The Hill reported.
“They ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that intelligence,” Trump said.
Schiff denied the accusation and said neither he nor his staff had leaked information.
“I can’t speak for what all the members of the committee have done or not done, including a lot of the Republican members,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash on Aug. 30.
Grenell’s comments came after Schiff said in an interview that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was devastated by the “terrible leadership of people like Rick Grenell and John Ratcliffe.”
“[They] politicized it, made it a partisan place and bent intelligence work product to the president’s will rather than speak truth to power,” Schiff claimed in an interview with The Hill.
.@RepAdamSchiff: "The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, probably the most devastated of all of the agencies by terrible leadership of people like Rick Grenell and John Ratcliffe." pic.twitter.com/hvbOxUi0vq
— The Hill (@thehill) January 22, 2021
The congressman complimented President Joe Biden’s picks for the intelligence community.
The Senate quickly confirmed Avril Haines on Wednesday as the new director of national intelligence, but Schiff said she will have to “do a lot of rebuilding” of morale and trust.
He also praised Biden for keeping Christopher Wray as the director of the FBI.
“I give the director enormous credit. I’m glad the president is keeping him on,” Schiff said.
“Christopher Wray managed to maintain his professionalism and integrity at all times” during the Trump administration, he said. “And I think that you have to carry on, we should have that 10-year term for FBI directors that helps to immunize them from political pressure.”
The scuffle between Grenell and Schiff came after White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Haines has been asked to put together an assessment of potential Russian interference in the 2020 election.
Story cited here.
