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An investigation discovered that during the Trump administration, efforts to uncover leaks extended to members of Congress. Additionally, the inspector general found that the department did not adhere to its own guidelines when obtaining records of journalists’ communications.
Written by Devlin Barrett
Reporting live from the
According to the Justice Department’s inspector general, leak investigations under the Trump administration went beyond what was previously understood, involving the examination of records belonging to many staff members in Congress. This was seen as concerning overreach by the inspector general.
The inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, found in a report published on Tuesday that the department did not adhere to its own guidelines when obtaining journalists’ communication records.
Mr. Horowitz began a review to investigate how federal prosecutors under President Donald J. Trump attempted to identify the individuals leaking classified information to journalists in 2017. Although this issue is from seven years ago, it could become more important if Trump wins a second term as he has promised to crack down on leakers in the future.
Previous reports have already discussed the general details of investigations into leaks, such as using subpoenas to obtain phone and email records from reporters at major news outlets. However, new information released on Tuesday provides a more detailed look into the extent of investigative efforts targeting congressional staff and two members of Congress. This highlights the Trump administration’s extensive measures to uncover the sources of leaks related to Trump associates and Russia.
The investigation did not uncover any evidence that political motives influenced the actions of the investigators. Both Democratic and Republican aides, including Kash Patel, who was chosen by President Trump to lead the FBI, were looked into during the inquiries. Additionally, some of the concerning behavior identified by Mr. Horowitz did not need approval from higher-ups in the department at that time.
The inspector general criticized the department for not following its own rules when conducting leak investigations involving the news media. The Justice Department did not fully comply with the policies in place when requesting the phone records of eight reporters from three news organizations.
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