DOJ IG report: Three then-senior DOJ officials leaked infor to media to damage President-elect Trump's chances

WASHINGTON, DC - In another report for the House Weaponization of the Federal Government subcommittee, the Department of Justice Inspector General announced on Monday that three agency employees leaked information to the media in an attempt to undermine President-elect Donald Trump’s electoral chances, Breitbart News reports. 

According to the IG’s summary: 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated an investigation after receiving allegations that actions by a litigating division were politically motivated and violated DOJ policies regarding disclosing information about ongoing matters. 

The OIG investigation found that three then Senior DOJ Officials violated DOJ’s COnfidentiality and Media Contacts Policy by leaking to select reporters, days before an election, non-public DOJ investigative information regarding ongoing DOJ investigative matters, resulting in the publication of two news articles that included the non-public DOJ investigative information. The OIG investigation also found that one of these three then Senior DOJ Officials violated the Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy and DOJ’s Social Media Policy by reposting through a DOJ social media account links to the news articles. 

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The OIG also provided its report to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which has exclusive jurisdiction to investigate alleged Hatch Act violations, for its consideration of whether the conduct of these officials violated the Hatch Act. 

The Hatch Act is a federal law that restricts certain political activities of federal employees, including those working for the DOJ, and violation can result in serious legal consequences. 

Breitbart noted that it is unknown what investigation was leaked or what the leaks were. According to The New York Post, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in September, referring to an article in the Washington Post in August alleging that President-elect Trump was investigated for allegedly receiving $10 million from Egyptian president Abdel Fateh el-Sisi during the 2016 presidential race. 

Sen. Grassley wrote (with footnotes omitted):

The reporting also refers to “classified U.S. intelligence,” indicating that Justice Department and FBI officials may have divulged classified information to the media. This appears to be yet another example of the Justice Department and FBI leaking material and information to the media while stiff-arming congressional requests for the same type of information. More than that, it also appears the Biden-Harris Justice Department and FBI intentionally leaked this information, to include potentially classified information, to the media roughly 90 days before the 2024 presidential election. This ongoing election interference by your agencies is another reason why the American people continue to lose faith in the agencies you’re responsible for leading.

The Egyptian donation angle was reportedly investigated by then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who abandoned the effort due to a lack of evidence.