A Republican congressman accidentally leaked classified information while railing against leaks

Peter King.
(Image credit: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

A New Yorker report has found that shortly after railing about leaks Monday, House Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) stumbled into discussing classified information in a public setting himself. During the committee's hearing concerning Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election, Nunes emphasized his concern about White House leaks: "Who has leaked classified information?" he demanded. "We aim to determine who has leaked or facilitated leaks of classified information so that these individuals can be brought to justice."

Later, in that same public hearing, Nunes asked FBI Director James Comey, "Do Russians historically prefer Republicans to win over Democrats?" Comey quickly shut Nunes down: "I'm not going to discuss in an unclassified forum," he said. Nunes had accidentally veered too far into publicly discussing classified information.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.