Three former senior Justice Department officials violated confidentiality guidelines by releasing nonpublic investigative details to reporters ahead of an election, according to an investigative summary from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
One of the three people is also accused of violating social media guidelines by sharing reports of the leaked information through a Justice Department social media account.
The “Findings of Misconduct“The matters alleged in the summary have been referred to the relevant authorities for possible further action.
The majority of these insights can be found in the following paragraph:
The OIG investigation found that three then-senior DOJ officials violated the DOJ’s confidentiality and media contact policy by releasing non-public DOJ investigative information on ongoing DOJ investigative matters to select reporters just days before an election, resulting in the publication of led two news articles that included: the DOJ’s non-public investigative information. The OIG investigation also found that one of these three then-senior DOJ officials violated the DOJ’s Confidentiality and Media Contact Policy and Social Media Policy by reposting links to the news articles through a DOJ social media account .
The OIG notes that their status handcuffed them to their ability to interact with the defendants former DOJ employees. You only have the authority to compel statements 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 the disclosure of information about ongoing matters.”
Details about the rank of these individuals and the leaked information are rare. It is not clear from the memo which election is being referred to or who the target may have been.
DOJ IG: Biden lawyers leaked confidential information to media before election
The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), led by Michael Horowitz, has found that three senior Justice Department officials violated internal policies and committed “misconduct” by… pic.twitter.com/gRVslvV9Y9
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) January 1, 2025
That is, the New York Post references a letter from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent in September to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray that accused the DOJ and FBI of “passing material and information to the media.”
Grassley noted a Washington Post Report a month earlier of a “secret investigation” into whether or not Donald Trump’s campaign accepted a $10 million payment from Egyptian President Abdel Fateh el-Sisi in 2016. The investigation was closed due to “lack of sufficient evidence.”
The story was somehow revived by the Post in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
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Grassley, in his lettercalled for an investigation into whether “the Biden-Harris Department of Justice and the FBI intentionally released this information, including potentially classified information, to the media approximately 90 days before the 2024 presidential election.”
The letter was forwarded to Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
His office’s investigation summary has now been forwarded to the US Office of Special Counsel for possible violations of the Hatch Act. The law is a U.S. law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities while on duty or at work.
A Pew Research Center Surveys show that the DOJ is one of the least trustworthy departments of the federal government, surpassed only by the IRS in net favorability ratings.
