A top House Democrat is trying to turn the tables on Trump's 'spygate' conspiracy

Rep. Jerrold Nadler wants a leak investigation

Democrats can demand leak investigations, too. On Thursday, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray asking them to investigate who leaked the name of a confidential FBI and CIA informant who approached advisers to President Trump's campaign in 2016, apparently to find out if Russia was trying to use the aides to influence the election. These reports are the basis for Trump's "spygate" conspiracy and the extraordinary briefings on the informant the FBI and Justice Department gave to House Republicans then the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" on Thursday.

On Friday's New Day, Nadler laid out what Trump and his allies did improperly for CNN's Alisyn Camerota. First, Trump "demanded information which he had no right to have; two, he set up this meeting for his own benefit; No. 3, they outed a classified informant. ... I'm not sure who did. Whoever did ought to pay a price at law — it's a crime to do that." He pointed out that Wray told Congress last week "the day that we can't protect human sources is the day the American people start becoming less safe."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.