Newly declassified FBI records posted by investigative journalist Catherine Herridge have triggered a sharp exchange with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) over allegations of leaks from the House Intelligence Committee during the early days of the Trump-Russia investigation.
The controversy began around 8 p.m. on August 12, when Herridge posted on X: “According to the FBI report known as a ‘302,’ (redacted) ‘noted Swalwell has been the source of a lot of leaked information and had to be counseled to be more careful.’… These FBI records were also provided by @FBIDirectorKash to Congress.”
Herridge attached an image of the heavily redacted FBI “302” report. The document describes a 2017 interview in which an unidentified House Intelligence Committee staff member told the bureau that classified information began leaking to the media after the 2016 election, allegedly as part of an effort to “topple the administration and fix the constitutional crisis.”
The source claimed the leaks were “structured and intentional” and “driven from the top,” with tacit approval from then-ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). It also stated that staff had been instructed to use any sources they had to advance the “Russian involvement” issue into a joint inquiry.
NEW I have obtained a newly declassified @FBI interview summary from 2017 about intelligence leaks from the Russia probes.
While the interview subject’s name is withheld, it appears to be a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
According to the FBI… pic.twitter.com/oGPCXzXtdn
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) August 13, 2025
Representative Swalwell quote-tweeted Herridge’s post with his own X message on August 13:
This “whistleblower” made this bullshit up when Trump was President. If they had anything, they would have indicted me. Trump would have done anything to destroy me if he could have. They didn’t indict me. Therefore, they had nothing. What’s next? https://t.co/9LzMIduhra
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 13, 2025
Herridge later highlighted a claim from the FBI summary that “various HPSCI staff colleagues” believed Schiff would be offered the CIA directorship if Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election.
President Trump has also weighed in: “Just out, irrefutable proof that Adam Shifty Schiff “APPROVED PLAN TO LEAK CLASSIFIED INFORMATION TO DAMAGE DONALD TRUMP,” Trump posted to TruthSocial on August 13.
Herridge kept the posts coming:
This is the one declassified @FBI record you should not miss!
The October 2017 FBI report alleges leaking by democrats on the House Intelligence Committee was “not a one-time thing,” there was a “systematic process.”
“…notes would be run up to the ranking member, ADAM SCHIFF,… https://t.co/hpEqgzVfAf pic.twitter.com/0XKTETk0aL
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) August 13, 2025
The allegations come amid a broader political battle over the origins and handling of the Trump-Russia probe, which has already produced multiple disputes between former intelligence officials, the FBI, and political figures. Herridge has previously reported on sensitive leaks in high-profile investigations, including revelations in 2018 about former FBI Director James Comey’s use of a “special government employee” to share his memos with the press.
Swalwell and Schiff have both denied wrongdoing.
Schiff did not respond directly to the investigative reporter; instead, he also took to social media:
Sorry, Donald. Wrong again.
Even Barr’s Justice Department rejected that false smear years ago.
But while we are the subject of confidential information, how about releasing those Epstein files? We are still waiting… pic.twitter.com/KJ3XAWrDzW
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) August 13, 2025
The FBI has not publicly commented on the specific allegations contained in the memo. The source quoted in the 2017 report was a Republican committee staff member, according to Herridge, and much of the underlying documentation remains redacted.
The full 266-page set of records cited by Herridge was apparently declassified and provided to Congress by Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official who has long been critical of both Schiff and Swalwell’s roles during the Russia investigation.
Herridge is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who has worked for outlets including CBS and Fox News.