Latest news with #SpeechorDebateClause
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Adam Schiff authorized classified intel leaks to smear Trump during Russiagate, whistleblower claims
A seasoned intelligence officer who aided Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee repeatedly alleged to the FBI that then-Rep. Adam Schiff approved leaking classified information to tarnish President Trump's image during the Russiagate probe, shocking newly released documents reveal. Now-Sen. Schiff (D-Calif.), then the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, openly discussed plans to reveal sensitive information about the Trump-Russia collusion probe starting soon after the 45th president's inauguration in 2017, the unidentified male whistleblower alleged. During an FBI interview in June 2023, the source recalled being part of an all-staff meeting called by Schiff, at which the Democrat 'stated the group would leak classified information which was derogatory to President of the United States Donald J. TRUMP. SCHIFF stated the information would be used to Indict President TRUMP.' Advertisement The whistleblower said he objected to Schiff's idea, a summary of the interview reveals, only to be told by other participants that 'they would not be caught leaking classified information.' Sometime later, the whistleblower said he was approached again about leaking against Trump and responded that they 'believed this activity to be unethical and treasonous.' The whistleblower later reached out to the FBI and was even invited to attend a mock grand jury hearing, only to later be told that the Justice Department would not investigate further. Advertisement Investigators believed Schiff, now 65, was protected by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause, which bars the apprehension of legislators for their professional activities except in the event of 'Felony, Treason and Breach of the Peace.' The whistleblower claimed during his June 2023 interview that he 'did not believe' Schiff's actions were covered by the Speech or Debate Clause. The whistleblower's claims were first reported by Just the News, with FBI Director Kash Patel confirming on X Monday night: 'We found it. We declassified it. Now Congress can see how classified info was leaked to shape political narratives – and decide if our institutions were weaponized against the American people.' Patel previously worked as a top aide to former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and authored a memo accusing FBI officials of abusing their power during the Trump-Russia investigation, which proceeded under the code name Crossfire Hurricane. Advertisement The whistleblower, who worked for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee for 12 years after more than two decades in the intelligence community, was described as 'friends with both Schiff and Nunes' and someone who 'worked with senior political leaders from both major political parties.' However, an October 2017 FBI memo claimed that word was spreading among committee staff that the whistleblower had been fired for a 'perceived lack of party loyalty.' When a Republican staffer went to offer condolences, the memo relates, the whistleblower told them they had lost their job because 'there was an expectation of leaking and he refused to participate.' Over drinks that evening, the whistleblower claimed that Democrats on the intelligence committee had established a 'system' for leaking in which sensitive information would be given to Schiff, 'after which a decision was made as to who would leak the information.' One prominent oversharer, according to the whistleblower, was Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) another intel committee member. Advertisement In a December 2017 FBI interview, the whistleblower recounted how a 'particularly sensitive document' was seen by a small group of lawmakers and staff, including Schiff and Swalwell, but leaked out 'almost verbatim' within a day. The whistleblower allegedly claimed to have 'been warned to be careful because he [Swalwell] had a reputation for leaking classified information.' 4 Sen. Adam Schiff had drawn suspicions of leaking during the first Trump administration. AP 4 President Trump has seethed at Rep. Adam Schiff, who had been one of his top House Democratic adversaries during his first term. AP 4 Russiagate loomed large over the first Trump administration. REUTERS Schiff, who spearheaded the first impeachment of President Trump in 2019, had long been suspected by Republicans of leaking classified information during the Russiagate saga. He also infamously read key portions of the since-debunked Steele Dossier into the congressional record in 2017. In 2023, House Republicans voted to censure Schiff for his role in Russiagate, only for him to be elected to the Senate the following year. In the December 2017 interview, the whistleblower claimed that Schiff had been furious at Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton, believing he would have been tapped as CIA director had the Democrat won. Last week, The Post reported that a grand jury has been convened in Maryland to investigate whether Schiff 'falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms.' Advertisement 4 FBI Director Kash Patel turned over the bureau's findings on the whistleblower's accusations to Congress. REUTERS The California senator is accused of mortgage fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions for certifying a Maryland property as his primary residence while also claiming a California condominium as his main home for tax and mortgage purposes. The FBI earlier this month initiated an investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI Director James Comey for any potential criminal actions taken as part of the Trump-Russia probe. Advertisement The Justice Department also launched a 'strike force' last month after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a long-anticipated, 44-page report from the House Intelligence Committee that found 'egregious' errors committed by Brennan in the compiling of an assessment that claimed Moscow preferred Trump to defeat Clinton. Representatives for Schiff and Swalwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Express Tribune
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Nancy Mace: House Representative shows alleged non-consensual nude photo of her taken by Patrick Bryant
Listen to article Rep. Nancy Mace displayed a blurred image of what she described as her 'naked silhouette' during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, alleging it was recorded without her consent. The image was shown on a poster behind her at the hearing, which focused on surveillance in private spaces. Mace said the screenshot was taken from a hidden camera placed at a rental property linked to her ex-fiancé, Charleston tech entrepreneur Patrick Bryant. Today I exposed a monster whose victims deserve justice. The victims also deserve stronger federal and state laws to protect them. To other potential victims, I want you to know, 'I have your back.' I would run through a brick wall to protect women and girls in South Carolina.… — Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 20, 2025 She also presented censored images of other women, which she said were recorded without their knowledge. Bryant has denied the allegations. 'Freedom is not a theory. It is the right to breathe. It is the right to dress and undress, to sleep without someone's camera filming your naked body,' Mace said. She described herself as a survivor and urged lawmakers to pass legislation to strengthen legal protections against non-consensual recording and voyeurism. Mace first made the allegations publicly on the House floor in February, accusing Bryant and three other men of secretly filming women, sexual assault, and other crimes. "So I say, bring it on, brother, because there is no defamation in the truth. And if you're going to be the kind of moron and monster who sues his own victims, may God help you." Hold the line. — Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 21, 2025 Bryant denied the claims in a statement, calling them 'false' and 'malicious.' He also said that if Mace believed the accusations to be true, she would pursue them outside of Congress. One of the men named by Mace has filed a defamation lawsuit against her. Mace's office has cited the Speech or Debate Clause of the US Constitution, which protects members of Congress from legal action based on their legislative activities. Predator and rapist, Patrick Bryant, says he has 'never raped anyone… never hidden cameras… never harmed any woman…' 1. If you aren't a rapist, why would you film a rape and why would you be filmed raping another? 2. Dozens of women filmed, recorded and stored on your… — Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 20, 2025 Mace defended her decision to use her position to raise awareness about voyeurism and privacy violations, noting she has introduced multiple bills to protect victims. Her efforts received support from several lawmakers during the hearing. 'I would run through a brick wall to protect women and girls in South Carolina and to other potential victims,' Mace said. The hearing highlighted ongoing concerns about privacy, consent, and the need for updated laws addressing non-consensual surveillance.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In hearing, Mace shows ‘naked silhouette' screenshot she says was recorded without her consent
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) showed a blurry screenshot of her 'naked silhouette' that she said was recorded without her consent during a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing she chaired on surveillance in private spaces on Tuesday. The hearing was the latest instance of Mace using the position of her office in a highly unusual way to amplify accusations against her ex-fiance and his business associates, who have denied wrongdoing. 'Freedom is not a theory. It is the right to breathe. It is the right to dress and undress, to sleep without someone's camera filming your naked body. The Founders wrote liberty in parchment, but hidden cameras erase it in pixels,' Mace said. 'I speak not just as a lawmaker, but as a survivor.' Displayed behind the congresswoman was a poster board showing a wide-angle security camera view of a living room, with a blurred human figure appearing to come out of a doorway — an image that she teased ahead of time with a post on the social platform X saying that she would be 'going there' to 'show my naked body' captured on one of the videos. 'Behind me is a screenshot from one of the videos I found of myself. The yellow circle, my naked silhouette, is my naked body,' Mace said. 'I didn't know that I had been filmed. I didn't give my consent. I didn't give my permission.' She urged lawmakers to advance her Sue VOYEURS Act to create a civil right of action and the Stop VOYEURS Act to expand the federal prohibition on video voyeurism. Mace first alleged that the men made and kept secretly recorded videos of women and girls, including herself, through hidden cameras placed at a rental property co-owned by her ex-fiance in a stunning House floor speech in February. Some of her allegations extended to more serious crimes such as sexual assault. Mace went on to show censored intimate photos of other women who were filmed and photographed purportedly without their knowledge — some of whom, she said, had given Mace permission to show the photos — while pointing fingers at the men. Mace's ex-fiance, Patrick Bryant, denied Mace's allegations in a lengthy statement to The Hill. 'I categorically deny the false and outrageous claims made by Nancy Mace. I have never raped anyone. I have never hidden cameras. I have never harmed any woman. These accusations are not just false—they are malicious and deeply personal,' Bryant said. 'My mistake was loving and trusting someone who later weaponized our relationship.' One of the individuals she named in her original floor speech has sued Mace for defamation. Mace's office has previously pointed out that the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause shields lawmakers against lawsuits for things they say and do as part of their legislative work. Bryant pointed to that legal protection, too, while pushing back on Mace. 'If she believed them to be true and there was evidence to support her accusations, she would say them outside the chamber—away from her public role and protections and pursue them through proper legal channels. She has not done so, because she cannot,' Bryant said, adding that witnesses have provided testimony and statements countering her version of events and that he has complied with a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation into the matter. 'This isn't advocacy. It's an abuse and exploitation of her political position for the sole purpose of promoting herself politically. Her allegations are absolutely baseless,' Bryant said. 'And, I will, at the right time, do whatever is necessary and appropriate to clear my name, to prove my integrity, and to restore my reputation in the community.' Asked about Bryant saying she should make her allegations in spaces where she is not protected by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause, Mace told The Hill: 'I don't really give a f— what Patrick Bryant has to say.' And she defended her decision to use her office to amplify her personal story. 'I've written over a dozen bills to protect women and kids, based on my experiences, both personally but also working with victims for the last year and a half, and it has informed my legislative process,' Mace told The Hill. 'When I went through this, I surely thought the Violence Against Women Act had provisions to protect victims of voyeurism. It didn't. There's not even a civil tort in the Violence Against Women Act for women who are victims of voyeurism.' In the hearing room, Mace got support from other lawmakers. 'I'm very sorry about your experience and I hope you are able to find justice,' said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.). Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said she hoped Mace's efforts 'bring justice to the victims and yourself.' And Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) echoed, 'I apologize for what you went through and I do hope you get justice.' Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), ranking member on the subcommittee, did not directly speak to Mace's claims but started her remarks in recognition of 'the strength of women who come forward to share their experiences with abuse and violations [of] privacy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
In hearing, Mace shows ‘naked silhouette' screenshot she says was recorded without her consent
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) showed a blurry screenshot of her 'naked silhouette' that she said was recorded without her consent during a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing she chaired on surveillance in private spaces on Tuesday. The hearing was the latest instance of Mace using the position of her office in a highly unusual way to amplify accusations of against her ex-fiancé and his business associates, who have denied wrongdoing. 'Freedom is not a theory. It is the right to breathe. It is the right to dress and undress, to sleep without someone's camera filming your naked body. The Founders wrote liberty in parchment, but hidden cameras erase it in pixels,' Mace said. 'I speak not just as a lawmaker, but as a survivor.' Displayed behind the congresswoman was a poster board showing a wide-angle security camera view of a living room, with a blurred human figure appearing to come out of a doorway — an image that she teased ahead of time with a post on X saying that she would be 'going there' to 'show my naked body' captured on one of the videos. 'Behind me is a screenshot from one of the videos I found of myself. The yellow circle, my naked silhouette, is my naked body,' Mace said. 'I didn't know that I had been filmed. I didn't give my consent. I didn't give my permission.' She urged lawmakers to advance her Sue VOYEURS Act to create a civil right of action and the Stop VOYEERS Act to expand the federal prohibition on video voyeurism. Mace first alleged that the men made and kept secretly-recorded videos of women and girls, including herself, through hidden cameras placed at a rental property co-owned by her ex-fiancé in a stunning House floor speech in February. Some of her allegations extended to more serious crimes like sexual assault. Mace went on to show censored intimate photos of other women who were filmed and photographed purportedly without their knowledge — some of whom, she said, had given Mace permission to show the photos — while pointing fingers at the men. Mace's ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, denied Mace's allegations in a lengthy statement to The Hill. 'I categorically deny the false and outrageous claims made by Nancy Mace. I have never raped anyone. I have never hidden cameras. I have never harmed any woman. These accusations are not just false—they are malicious and deeply personal,' Bryant said. 'My mistake was loving and trusting someone who later weaponized our relationship.' One of the individuals she named in her original floor speech has sued Mace for defamation. Mace's office has previously pointed out that the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause shields lawmakers against lawsuits for things they say and do as part of their legislative work. Bryan pointed to that legal protection, too, while pushing back on Mace. 'If she believed them to be true and there was evidence to support her accusations, she would say them outside the chamber—away from her public role and protections and pursue them through proper legal channels. She has not done so, because she cannot,' Bryant said, adding that witnesses have provided testimony and statements countering her version of events and that he has complied with a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation into the matter. 'This isn't advocacy. It's an abuse and exploitation of her political position for the sole purpose of promoting herself politically. Her allegations are absolutely baseless,' Bryant said. 'And, I will, at the right time, do whatever is necessary and appropriate to clear my name, to prove my integrity, and to restore my reputation in the community.' Asked about Bryant saying she should make her allegations in spaces where she is not protected by the Constitution's speech or debate clause, Mace told The Hill: 'I don't really give a f— what Patrick Bryant has to say.' And she defended her decision to use her office to amplify her personal story. 'I've written over a dozen bills to protect women and kids, based on my experiences, both personally but also working with victims for the last year and a half, and it has informed my legislative process,' Mace told The Hill. 'When I went through this, I surely thought the Violence Against Women Act had provisions to protect victims of voyeurism. It didn't. There's not even a civil tort in the Violence Against Women Act for women who are victims of voyeurism.' In the hearing room, Mace got support from other lawmakers. 'I'm very sorry about your experience and I hope you are able to find justice,' said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.). Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said she hoped Mace's efforts 'bring justice to the victims and yourself.' And Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) echoed, 'I apologize for what you went through and I do hope you get justice.' Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), ranking member on the subcommittee, did not directly speak to Mace's claims but started her remarks in recognition of 'the strength of women who come forward to share their experiences with abuse and violations and privacy.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In floor speech, Rep. Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiance, others of sexual abuse, rape
Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday night accused her ex-fiance and three other men of sexually abusing and exploiting women and underage girls for more than a decade, stating she was one of their victims. Mace -- a Republican firebrand who has made her name over the past year by supporting bills framed as seeking to protect women and girls -- alleged from the House floor that the four men incapacitated women, whom they raped and filmed while their victims were wholly unaware. She claimed they also took lewd and nonconsensual photos and videos of women and underage girls. Though she provided no evidence, she said she had found thousands of videos and photos of the crimes and personally identified almost a dozen alleged victims. "Today, I'm going scorched Earth, so let the bridges I burn this evening light our way forward," she said at the start of her more than 50-minute speech, which was unexpected and seemingly unprompted. She accused the men by name of rape, sex trafficking, voyeurism and sexual abuse against women, of filming and photographing their alleged crimes and of exchanging money between each other in the process. "When you incapacitate women, it's against the law. When you sexually assault women, it's called rape. If you film women naked without their knowledge, without their permission and without their consent, it's called voyeurism and it makes you a Peeping Tom. And it is illegal. "When you and your business partners -- like these, all business partners," she said, gesturing to a placard displaying pictures of the four men with their names printed underneath, "when you and your business partners pay each other and you sexually abuse women, it's called sex trafficking and it is against the law. And by definition, that makes you a sex trafficker." Her ex-fiance, Patrick Bryant, and the three other men she accused have denied the allegations, NBC News reported. "I categorically deny these allegations," Bryant said in a statement. "I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name." Mace, who is expected to run for South Carolina governor in 2026, spoke from the floor, protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution, which shields congressmen from both civil and criminal lawsuits for alleged crimes such as slander when acting within their legislative role. She said she first uncovered evidence of the alleged crimes in November 2023, and when she presented it to law enforcement, she was informed that she would be investigated. During her speech, she railed against a system she described as failing to protect women -- a system she said she would burn "to the ground if I have to." She accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of being a "do-nothing attorney general" and of treating women "like criminals" who come forward with sexual assault allegations. Wilson, a Republican, was quick to refute her charges as being "categorically false." In a statement, his office said it has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement of prosecuting agencies concerning her allegations and that Wilson and his office had no knowledge of her claims until she made them public Monday night. "Congresswoman Mace and the Attorney General have been at multiple events together over the last six months. She also has the Attorney General's personal cellphone number. Not once has she approached or reached out to him regarding any of her concerns," the statement said. Mace, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, has been pushing for and championing legislation to protect women and girls. However, under that framing, she has also veered into cultural battles, supporting bills that attack transgender individuals. She has repeatedly used anti-trans slurs, as recently as Wednesday. During her speech on Monday, she said she was allegedly physically abused by her fiance on Nov. 13, 2023, her last night with him and bears a scar from it. "Rather than see this mark as a scar, I see this mark of a free woman, free from a monster," she said. "I will wear this mark that he made on me for the rest of my life as a badge of honor."
