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A Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report released Monday revealed that three senior DOJ officials breached internal protocols by sharing confidential investigative information with media outlets in the days leading up to an election.
The investigation was initiated following complaints suggesting politically motivated information disclosures. According to the findings, these officials provided non-public details about ongoing DOJ investigations to specific journalists, resulting in the publication of two news articles containing sensitive information.
IG FINDS SENIOR DOJ LAWYERS LEAKED CONFIDENTIAL INFO TO PRESS PRIOR TO ELECTION FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES. Then after Trump is elected, they quit so they don’t have to answer to the IG. PROSECUTE THEM! pic.twitter.com/4Phtu1obuL
— Eric CIAramella’s Dirty Whistle (@TheAndersPaul) December 31, 2024
The OIG report stated:
“Findings of Misconduct by Three then Senior DOJ Officials for Violating the Department’s Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy; and by one of these Senior Officials for Violating the Department’s Social Media Policy”
The report detailed that one official further violated policies by sharing links to these articles through an official DOJ social media account.
When the OIG attempted to conduct interviews, all three officials, who had since left their positions at the DOJ, either declined to participate or failed to respond. While the OIG can require current DOJ employees to testify with immunity from self-incrimination, it lacks authority to compel testimony from former employees.
The completed investigation report has been forwarded to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and the Professional Misconduct Review Unit. Additionally, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel received the report to evaluate potential Hatch Act violations.
You know.. literally EVERY "conspiracy "theory" they accused us of, in order to make us look as if WE were the crazies, have been proven right. I would love to be part of a group lawsuit with thousands of other American citizens to make these "politicos" "Journos" pay putatively…
— MIMSYPICKTRIS 🇺🇸 (@Picktris66) December 31, 2024
This incident adds to a series of leak-related controversies at the DOJ. In September, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley raised concerns about alleged DOJ and FBI leaks regarding a previously closed Trump investigation. The investigation, which examined potential Egyptian funding of Trump’s 2016 campaign, was terminated in 2020 due to lack of evidence but resurfaced in an August 2024 Washington Post article citing leaked documents and anonymous sources.
Grassley, known for his oversight of DOJ activities, has instructed Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray to maintain all records connected to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Trump investigations, particularly given the DOJ’s history of records destruction, including materials from the Mueller investigation and Smith’s involvement with controversial cases.
