President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE called Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffSchiff to subpoena top DHS official, alleges whistleblower deposition is being stonewalled Schiff claims DHS is blocking whistleblower's access to records before testimony GOP lawmakers distance themselves from Trump comments on transfer of power MORE (D-Calif.) “the biggest leaker in Washington” to explain why he did not inform the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee ahead of time about the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Trump made his comments during a press gaggle as he arrived in Chicago on Monday, one day after he confirmed al-Baghdadi died in a U.S. raid. The president said he didn’t tell Schiff about because “he’s a corrupt politician” and “a leaker like nobody has ever seen before.”

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“Well, I guess the only thing is they were talking about why didn’t I give the information to Adam Schiff and his committee,” Trump told reporters. “And the answer is: Because I think Adam Schiff is the biggest leaker in Washington.”

Schiff is a member of the Gang of Eight, a group of intelligence leaders typically informed of classified raids before they occur. The president had announced Sunday that some Washington leaders were not kept in the loop for fear of “Washington leaks,” saying “leaks could have caused the death of all of them,” referring to the special forces troops carrying out the operation.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Overnight Health Care: New wave of COVID-19 cases builds in US | Florida to lift all coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, bars | Trump stirs questions with 0 drug coupon plan Overnight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds MORE (D-Calif.) was also not told of the raid in advance. The president did report telling Sens. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamLincoln Project mocks Lindsey Graham's fundraising lag with Sarah McLachlan-themed video The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error MORE (R-S.C.) and Richard Burr Richard Mauze BurrHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Bipartisan representatives demand answers on expired surveillance programs Rep. Mark Walker says he's been contacted about Liberty University vacancy MORE (R-N.C.) after the raid was successful.

Schiff has led the initial hearings of the impeachment inquiry against the president, increasing the animosity between the two. In an early hearing, Schiff exaggerated the conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A whistleblower’s report detailing how Trump asked Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE sparked the impeachment inquiry.

“Adam Schiff went before Congress, and Adam Schiff, what he did, will never be forgotten,” Trump told reporters. “He made up a conversation that was a phony fabrication. It was a fraud. And people shouldn’t be allowed to get away. They say he has immunity because he's a member of Congress.”

Schiff has defended his comments, saying they were partly made in jest.