House Republicans call for report on alleged leaks of information related to Russian election meddling

A group of Republican lawmakers raised questions on Monday about allegations that members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) improperly communicated information about the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In a letter to leaders of the House of Representatives, U.S. Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and Mia Love (R-UT) voiced “serious concerns” about the integrity of the ongoing investigation in light of accusations that committee members or committee staff leaked information to the media.

“Significant evidence that serious leaks have occurred in relation to the HPSCI investigation into alleged Russian meddling of the 2016 election must be immediately addressed,” the letter stated. “Members or staff who may have violated rules by leaking sensitive information to the press or other outside entities must be promptly removed from this investigation and proper inquiries undertaken without delay.”

The lawmakers said that details of Donald Trump Jr.’s Dec. 7 non-public interview with the HPSCI were “clearly being leaked to the press” while the eight-hour interview was still underway.

“This is evidenced in multiple tweets and online articles that contained privileged information that only members or staff present for the interview would have been privy to,” the letter stated. “The leaking of privileged information continued after the interview had concluded. These serious violations need to be investigated and any members responsible for such violations must no longer serve as part of this investigation.”

Additionally, the lawmakers called for any congressional staff members who violated committee or House rules to face disciplinary action.