The Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus ignited a political firestorm on Tuesday after he said that he has information suggesting that the FBI leaked information to the media and then used those reports to obtain FISA warrants.
“We’ve learned NEW information suggesting our suspicions are true: FBI/DOJ have previously leaked info to the press, and then used those same press stories as a separate source to justify FISA’s,” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) tweeted. “Unreal. Tomorrow’s Bruce Ohr interview is even more critical. Did he ever do this?”
Fox News reported that part of Meadows’ claim came from “FBI intelligence analyst Jonathan Moffa’s Friday testimony behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.”
A source told Fox News that Moffa testified that FBI officials would “use media reports based on information they leaked to justify applications for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants.”
However, a separate FBI official denied those claims, saying that claims about what Moffa said in his testimony were not accurate. The official added that Moffa allegedly testified that the FBI uses media reports to validate their evidence but “never said directly ‘we utilize FBI leaks for FISAs.'”
The source also said that Moffa neither confirmed nor denied that FBI leaks were used in obtaining a FISA warrant with regard to the salacious and unverified anti-Trump dossier.
“Jonathan Moffa made it clear to the committee the FBI routinely uses media reports to corroborate analytic work product,” Meadows said in a statement to Fox News. “We have emails and texts plainly showing the FBI leaks to the media, raising major red flags. If FBI executives want the American people to believe they haven’t used leaks to their advantage, they are not being honest.”
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice revealed that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe leaked information to The Wall Street Journal and then lied about it to investigators.