Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) of leaking classified information.
Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) were blocked from the House Intelligence Committee by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday.
Pompeo, who also served as CIA director, praised McCarthy for the move during an interview on Fox News‘ ‘Outnumbered’ on Wednesday, saying he was “exactly right” to remove Schiff.
“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,” Pompeo said. “When we provided information to him and to his staff, it ended up in places it shouldn’t have been with alarming regularity,” he added.
Pompeo claims these supposed leaks caused him to “hold back” information from the House Intelligence Committee while Schiff was chair.
Asked why he didn’t take action against Schiff for leaking classified information, Pompeo said “it’s a complicated process” and “it’s difficult to pin down precisely what happened.”
Schiff has been a target for Republicans since he led an investigation into the Trump 2016 campaign ties with Russia and was the lead manager in Donald Trump’s first impeachment for withholding aid to Ukraine in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden and his family.
Schiff’s office slammed Pompeo in a statement to The Hill.
“This is another patently false and defamatory statement from Mike Pompeo,” Schiff spokesperson Lauren French said. “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.”
