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Press Release Published: Feb 7, 2019

House Oversight and Judiciary Seeks Answers on Whether DOJ, FBI Leaked Draft Stone Indictment to Media

WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Government Operations Subcommittee, and Congressman Doug Collins, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray asking whether Department employees authorized or provided a copy of the Special Counsel’s sealed, non-public indictment against Roger Stone to members of the media.

In a letter dated February 4, 2019, Stone’s attorney alleged that a member of the media sent him a draft copy of Stone’s indictment that differed from the publicly available indictment. With few exceptions, grand jury materials are not publicly disclosed until their unsealing.

Ranking Members Jordan, Meadows and Collins forwarded the letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz asking him to examine the Department’s actions to determine if a full investigation is warranted.
Excerpts from the letter:
 
“On February 4, 2019, we received a letter from Roger Stone’s attorney, Grant J. Smith, alleging a Cable News Network (CNN) employee received a copy of a sealed grand jury indictment before it had been filed with the court. We write to determine if personnel employed by the Department of Justice, including the Office of Special Counsel or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), authorized or provided copies of sealed grand jury materials to members of the media.”
“The FBI arrested Stone on January 25, 2019, at which point his grand jury indictment was unsealed. According to Smith’s letter, however, a CNN employee sent Smith a copy of Stone’s indictment on the date of his arrest. Smith alleges the copy the CNN employee shared with him was a draft indictment yet to be filed with the Court.”
Full text of the letter to Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and Director Wray can be viewed here.
 
Full text of the letter to Inspector General Horowitz can be found here.