A whistleblower allegation and newly declassified FBI interview reports are now threatening to shatter the political career of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the former ranking member and later chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
The anonymous Democrat whistleblower has come forward to the FBI, alleging that then-Rep. Adam Schiff authorized the leaking of classified information to the media with the explicit goal of destroying President Donald Trump during the Russiagate hoax.
According to recently declassified FBI 302 interview reports obtained by Just the News, the whistleblower, who served Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee for more than a decade, repeatedly warned the FBI starting in 2017 that Schiff had approved targeted leaks of damaging intelligence against Trump.
In an all-staff meeting, Schiff allegedly declared that the group would leak classified information derogatory to President Trump and stated the leaks would be used to indict him.
The whistleblower reported he objected, calling the actions “unethical and possibly treasonous,” but was assured they’d “not be caught leaking classified information.”
The whistleblower claimed Schiff believed he was promised the position of CIA Director if Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election.
Rep. Eric Swalwell was named as a likely conduit for the leaks. Despite raising these allegations, the whistleblower was abruptly fired.
Now, Brett Tolman, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah from July 2006 to December 2009, joined Benny Johnson to discuss the potential penalties facing Schiff if the allegations lead to charges.
Benny Johnson: Every American would say, “Yeah, absolutely, you shouldn’t leak classified information. We don’t want that to be something that you can do or get away with. Or, if there’s a temptation to do that and get paid for it, then the penalty should be very severe. So, can you talk me through what the penalties would look like for an average individual leaking classified information?”
Brett Tolman: “Yeah. I mean, the fine is up to $250,000 for every leak that’s charged, so it depends on the counts in the indictment. Also, keep in mind, some of the punishment hinges on the purpose of the classified leak or the possession of classified documentation illegally. The purpose becomes very important.”
If you recall, Comey told me when he said no prosecutor would prosecute Hillary Clinton for having classified information, it was just an outright lie. But there was always this question, this debate—what was the purpose of it? Was it just sloppiness? Same with Joe Biden. Was it sloppiness that he had all of these—that he used the classified documents to write his memoirs? Was there anything truly nefarious about it?
And there was some analysis of Donald Trump. But with President Trump, it was just, ‘You had them, we’re going to go after you because that’s how we’re going to apply the law.’
But in reality, you have to look at the purpose to see whether or not there are aggravating factors here. I believe this was, in essence, the beginning of a conspiracy to take down a president, to impact his ability to lead.”
“There are other statutes—conspiracy statutes, interference with official proceedings, et cetera. A lot of people have a question about treason—’Is it treason?’ You probably don’t satisfy the elements for treason, but there are some related crimes that could come into play.
And if you found that the individual was doing it in an effort to undermine the United States, you’re looking at potential penalties of up to 20 years in federal prison.”
WATCH:
🚨Former US Attorney Brett Tolman says Adam Schiff could be facing 20 years in federal prison plus a $250,000 fine for every piece of Russian information he leaked to the media:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 12, 2025
“The fine is up to $250,000 for every, every leak that's charged. So it depends on the counts in the… pic.twitter.com/1lPIKVZFFc
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