Heads are about to roll, can you feel it? House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz along with Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) have submitted a letter to the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, requesting a formal investigation into both the surveillance and subsequent leaks of classified communications "of or regarding" former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn - citing the highly inappropriate release of information.

Generally, collection activities by intelligence agencies are classified, as are the products that result from those activities. This is to ensure the continued integrity of the sources and methods used. Therefore, it seems probable that the fact that an intelligence agency monitored the call, if it did, as well as any recording of the call, would also be classified.

Chaffetz and Goodlatte's letter cite "serious concerns" about mishandling of classified information, stating the release of which would, by definition, "have grave effects on national security."

In a discussion with Fox's First 100 Days, Chaffetz also made clear that he's concerned about both the Flynn leaks and President Trump's conduct, following a letter the congressman to the White House over Trump's public discussion at Mar-a-Lago with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding North Korea's recent missile launch.

"no matter where you are on the political spectrum, you cannot have classified information migrating out into a non-classified setting." -Jason Chaffetz, Bounty Hunter

While it's perhaps to be expected that our intelligence agencies might monitor an incoming administration's communications, using those obviously classified conversations as a weapon for the purposes of propaganda designed to undermine a sitting US President is absolutely beyond the pale.

"How does that information end up at the news media? The President has made some very serious allegations in his description in the movement of this information.

See text of the Chaffetz / Goodlatte letter here (with Fox interview below):