House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., launched an investigation into whether his spokesman, Kurt Bardella, provided private information to New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich for a book about Washington’s political underbelly, Politico reports.
Issa’s probe comes in response to concerns that Bardella forwarded e-mails from other journalists to Leibovich. “Am I bcc’ing [Leibovich] on every e-mail I send out? Of course not,” Bardella told Politico.
Bardella assured Issa on Monday that he “does not share information between one reporter and another,” the congressman said, noting concern with whether Bardella treated Leibovich differently than other journalists. “His collaboration with the book author is what I want to get to the bottom of,” Issa said.
Aides close to the congressman's office say Bardella’s job is at stake, particularly given other recent controversies. Earlier this year, he was quoted in a New Yorker article making improper remarks about reporters, women, and his own office. At the time of the article, Issa said that Bardella was “about one nanosecond from not working on Capitol Hill anymore.”
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment