Three former senior Department of Justice officials breached confidentiality policies by leaking non-public investigative details to reporters before an election, an investigative summary from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reads.
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One of the three individuals is also accused of violating social media policy by sharing reports resulting from the leaked information through a DOJ social media account.
The “misconduct findings” alleged in the brief summary have been forwarded to relevant authorities for potential further action.
The bulk of those findings can be found in the following paragraph:
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.
The OIG indicates they were handcuffed in how far they could act in speaking with those accused due to their status of being former DOJ employees. They only have the authority to compel testimony from current employees.
The summary states that the investigation was conducted due to allegations that individuals within the DOJ engaged in actions that “were politically motivated and violated DOJ policies regarding disclosing information about ongoing matters.”
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Details about the rank of these individuals and the information leaked are scarce. The memo does not indicate which election is being referenced or who the target may have been.
DOJ IG: Biden Lawyers Leaked Confidential Information to Media Ahead of Election
The Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), led by Michael Horowitz, has found that three senior DOJ officials violated internal policies and engaged in “misconduct” by… pic.twitter.com/gRVslvV9Y9
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) January 1, 2025
That said, the New York Post points to a letter from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray in September, which accused the DOJ and FBI of “leaking material and information to the media.”
Grassley noted a Washington Post report from a month earlier regarding a “secret probe” into whether or not Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign had accepted a $10 million payment from Egyptian president Abdel Fateh el-Sisi. The probe was shut down due to a “lack of sufficient evidence.”
The story was somehow revived by the Post leading up to the months prior to the 2024 presidential election.
Senate Republicans Launch Investigation Into Justice Department for Spying on Congressional Staffers
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Grassley, in his letter, demanded an investigation as to whether or not “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.”
The letter was forwarded to Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
His office’s investigative summary has now been forwarded to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel for potential violation of the Hatch Act. The Act is a U.S. law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities while on duty or in the workplace.
A Pew Research Center poll shows the DOJ is one of the least trusted departments in the federal government, being surpassed in net favorability rating only by the IRS.
