Former Rep. Trey Gowdy castigated House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff as someone who “leaks like a sieve” in explaining why U.S. officials may hesitate to share classified information with the California Democrat.
After being alerted to a whistleblower complaint sent to the Intelligence Community inspector general that reportedly relates to a “promise” President Trump made to a foreign leader, Schiff has frantically sought it out. He has been met with resistance from acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire.
Gowdy, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was asked to weigh in on the controversy during a Fox News interview on Friday and singled out Schiff for criticism.
“When you put someone who is wrong as often as Adam Schiff is wrong and is as deeply partisan as he is, in charge of the intelligence committee, then no, you’re not going to share confidential information because Adam leaks like a sieve,” Gowdy said.
Schiff has accused Trump’s acting spy chief of defying a statute requiring the complaint, which the inspector general found to be of “urgent concern,” be handed over to the intelligence committees within seven days. Maguire’s office, after consulting with the Justice Department, disagreed, saying it does not have to hand over the complaint to Congress because it goes beyond the Maguire’s purview by relating to someone outside of the Intelligence Community.
“That’s the consequence of putting someone that partisan as the head of the intel committee,” Gowdy reasoned.
In suggesting Trump or top aides are stonewalling the Intelligence Community, Schiff threatened to take the matter to court. “We will look at whatever remedies we have,” Schiff told reporters on Thursday.
With reports coming out that suggest the whistleblower complaint has to do with a call between Trump and the Ukrainian president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday the complaint raises “grave, urgent concerns for our national security,” and urged the Trump administration to release it.
Gowdy said if Pelosi wants this information given to Congress, “she should pick a less partisan person to be the chairperson of that committee.”
This is not the first time the former South Carolina Republican has publicly condemned Schiff for his behavior. Using his platform on Fox News, where he is a contributor, Gowdy mocked Schiff for spreading the narrative that there was “evidence in plain sight” of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
After a two-year investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller was unable to establish criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
