President Trump on Sunday accused House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) of leaking classified information regarding Russian efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that he had not been briefed on Russian efforts to support the Bernie Sanders campaign and accused Rep. Adam Schiff of leaking the classified intelligence to the news media.
(Via Reuters)
A congressional source told Reuters on Friday that intelligence officials had told lawmakers Russia appears to be engaging in disinformation and propaganda campaigns to help both Sanders and Trump, who is seeking re-election.
“I read where Russia is helping Bernie Sanders. Nobody said it to me at all. Nobody briefed me about that at all,” Trump said.
“They leaked it, Adam Schiff and his group. They leaked it to the papers and - as usual - they ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information,” Trump said, without providing any evidence to back up his claims.
Schiff, who served as the lead prosecutor in Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate, said Trump was seeking to turn attention away from his own actions with the comments.
Bernie Sanders has said that he was briefed by U.S. intelligence officials "about a month ago" regarding attempts made by the Russian government to bolster support for the socialist's presidential campaign. Sanders suggested the timing of the news was intentionally set for the eve of the Nevada caucuses. House Intelligence Committee members, including Chairman Adam Schiff, were briefed on the matter as well.
On ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien rejected the idea that Russia was attempting to help President Trump win reelection.
"I haven't seen any intelligence that Russia is doing anything to attempt to get President Trump re-elected," O'Brien told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "I think this is the same old story that we've heard before. I've seen the reports from that briefing at the intel committee ... who knows what happened over at the House and the Intelligence Committee, but I haven't seen any evidence that Russia's doing anything to attempt to get President Trump re-elected."
Now that Democrats are accusing one of their own of receiving assistance from Russia, President Trump suggested the idea of "a new Mueller Report, Democrat Edition."
Are any Democrat operatives, the DNC, or Crooked Hillary Clinton, blaming Russia, Russia, Russia for the Bernie Sanders win in Nevada. If so I suggest calling Bob Mueller & the 13 Angry Democrats to do a new Mueller Report, Democrat Edition. Bob will get to the bottom of it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2020