Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:

“In 2016, the Department of Justice broke with past practice by making investigative files in the Clinton email investigation available to Congress. At the time, I said that what was being done in the name of transparency would soon come to be known by another name — mistake.

“Now, the DOJ is about to repeat this error by sharing investigative materials with Congress concerning another ongoing matter. This is all the more alarming when Republicans in Congress are requesting these materials not for legitimate oversight, but to obtain them for the President’s legal defense team. The President’s personal lawyer has acknowledged as much, and that he fully expects to get access to the materials provided to Congress.

“After the Speaker conceded only yesterday that the President’s claims of embedded spies were false, the further disclosure of investigative materials is inexplicable. The DOJ is now reinforcing a precedent it will have to live with, whether the Congress is in Republican or Democratic hands, of providing materials in pending or closed cases to the legislative branch upon request.”

Earlier this week, Leader Chuck Schumer, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Vice Chair Mark Warner and Schiff sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting that the Department of Justice confirm that they have not given the President’s outside counsel, White House staff or the President access to the same classified information briefed to Congress. Find the letter here.

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